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Observatory. Mine – Turkey
On Monday, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, expressed his great concern about Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 system, due to possible US sanctions on Ankara.
Stoltenberg told a joint press conference in Turkey with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu: “We are concerned that Turkey will acquire the S-400 system because it represents a risk to NATO, and Ankara may be punished by the United States. “.
Turkey had signed an agreement with Russia to supply the “S-400” in December 2017, according to which Turkey obtained a loan from Russia to partially finance the purchase of the “S-400”.
In turn, the Turkish Foreign Minister said: “His country urgently needed the S-400 system, which generated sensitivity in NATO,” and asked the allies in NATO to understand it.
The deal sparked a crisis in relations between Turkey and the United States and required Washington to abandon the deal in exchange for the purchase of the American Patriot systems, threatening to delay or cancel the sale of the latest F-35 fighters to Turkey. However, Ankara refused to make concessions.
Recent skirmishes in the eastern Mediterranean from Turkey to Greece prompted the European Union countries to line up behind Athens, promising to impose sanctions unless Ankara backs down on its hostile policy.
