Turkey does not intend to retreat on the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs), despite the US sanctions imposed because of it. The republic's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said this in an interview with 24 TV on Thursday.
"We will continue to take steps to make our defense industry more independent. On the subject of S-400, we will not back down. Sanctions are a wrong decision, we will take [retaliatory] steps," he stressed.
Cavusoglu also called the sanctions a "unilateral move" by the US that targets Turkey's "sovereign rights.
On December 14, the US government announced the imposition of sanctions against the Defense Industry Agency of Turkey, its head and three Turkish citizens - Mustafa Alper Deniz, Serhat Gencoglu and Faruk Yigit - under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). According to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, the restrictions send a "clear signal" that the US will "fully enforce CAATSA" and "will not tolerate significant deals with the Russian defense and intelligence sectors."
The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the US sanctions and promised to retaliate. The Foreign Ministry also stressed that Ankara "will not refrain from taking measures it considers necessary for ensuring its national security".
Earlier Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stressed that Washington's intention to impose sanctions against Ankara because of its purchase of Russian S-400 is a sign of disrespect for its important NATO partner.
S-400 purchase
Russia and Turkey signed a contract in 2017 for Moscow to supply Ankara with S-400 systems. Turkey was the first NATO country to purchase these systems from Russia. Ankara's decision caused a sharply negative reaction from Washington and the alliance as a whole. The US keeps trying to get Turkey to give up its Russian SAM systems. Erdogan said in October that Ankara did not intend to give up the S-400, despite Washington's pressure. He also rejected threats of sanctions and suggested that the US should actually try to impose them.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS