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The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, emphasized that the objective of the sanctions against Turkey is to prevent Russia from gaining influence and not undermine Ankara’s military capabilities, considering that the acquisition of the S-400 system “allows Russia access to the forces Turks and their defense industries “.
This came in a statement issued by the US State Department on Thursday, in which it said Pompeo discussed with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu the US sanctions resulting from Turkey’s purchase of Russian air defense systems. S-400.
The statement said Pompeo made it clear to his Turkish counterpart that “Turkey’s purchase of this system threatens the safety of US military personnel and technology,” and called on Turkey to resolve the advanced missile system problem. “in a manner consistent with decades of defense cooperation between Washington and Ankara.”
Not retreat
Earlier yesterday, Turkey’s foreign minister said Ankara would not back down on the purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system and would take action to respond after assessing the sanctions.
Cavusoglu considered, in press statements, that the sanctions decision was incorrect from a legal and political point of view, and considered it an attack on the sovereign rights of Turkey.
He noted that some believe Washington has applied the weakest sanctions on Turkey, “and we say the sanctions were wrong.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the US sanctions invade his country’s sovereign rights and aim to damage its defense industries, emphasizing that Turkey will accelerate its steps in defense industries to achieve world leadership.
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