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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the US sanctions infringe on his country’s sovereign rights and are aimed at damaging its defense industries, emphasizing that Turkey will accelerate its steps in defense industries to achieve world leadership.
On Monday, the United States of America announced the imposition of sanctions on Ankara, for its purchase and testing of the Russian S-400 air defense missile system.
Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey in accordance with the Law on Punishment of Countries Cooperating with Adversaries of the United States of America, known as “CAATSA”, signed by President Donald Trump and entered into force on August 2, 2017.
Erdogan said it was the first time that sanctions under US “Katsa” law had been imposed on a NATO member state.
He added that Turkey was not subject to such sanctions for the first time, but sanctions were imposed on it in 1974, and stressed that his country had passed the stage of dealing with such sanctions and would overcome all difficulties.
He noted that the United States did not meet any of Ankara’s conditions to buy defense systems, and that it had unveiled the sanctions weapon against Turkey because it met its needs from elsewhere.
Erdogan emphasized that Turkey will redouble its efforts for the independence of defense industries in all aspects, and that it will firmly support the head of the Defense Industries Corporation, Ismail Demir, and the rest of the establishment officials who were targeted by the attacks. US sanctions.
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, expressed his regret at the imposition of sanctions by the United States on Turkey and said that “the dispute must be resolved in a satisfactory manner, considering the purchase by part from Turkey’s S-400 missile system to Russia as a sovereign decision. “
He stressed that the Russian system is not compatible with the NATO defense system and therefore will not be integrated into the NATO air and missile defense system.
Al-Jazeera’s Ankara correspondent Al-Mu’taz Billah Hasan said that the Turkish remarks increased with President Erdogan’s remarks, especially as the sanctions target people from Turkey’s Defense Industries Administration.
He added that Turkey believes that these sanctions are aimed at blocking its efforts to develop defense projects, and that Ankara’s response will be to increase domestic arms production.
Undermining trust
On Tuesday, Ankara said that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed in a phone call with his American counterpart Mike Pompeo Washington’s decision to impose sanctions on Turkey for the purchase of a Russian air defense system.
The ministry said Cavusoglu relayed Ankara’s response to the US decision.
In turn, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar considered that the US sanctions against his country shake all the values of the alliance between Ankara and Washington.
And he considered that sanctions against a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “NATO” will not only damage the spirit of the alliance, but will also undermine trust between the allies.
He added that the Turkish government will take all measures to protect the safety of its citizens and his country, which is under dangerous air and missile threats, as he himself said.
United front
For its part, the Turkish parliament on Tuesday showed uncommon unity of its kind in its condemnation of the US sanctions, saying the country would not hesitate to protect itself from threats.
In a joint statement, 4 of the five main parties in Parliament emphasized that relations with the United States must be based on mutual respect and that the sanctions imposed due to the country’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system ” they are not in line with the spirit of the alliance. “
“We call on the United States to immediately reverse this serious mistake,” the statement added, adding that Turkey “will not back down from sanctions or threats.”
The declaration was signed by the ruling Justice and Development Party, the National Movement, the Good Party and the Republican People’s Party.
The Khair and Al Shaab parties are known to be rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party.
The declaration was not signed by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the second largest opposition party represented in Parliament.
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