Turkey defence industry chief says US sanctions limited in scope
Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries chief Ismail Demir says US sanctions only affect him, the civil institution and three other people.
New US sanctions will leave most of Turkey unaffected, including the National Defence Ministry, Turkish Armed Forces, and defence companies.
Speaking at Anadolu Agency's Editor's Desk on Thursday, head of Turkey's Defense Industries, Ismail Demir, said the sanctions only target his agency, but will not affect existing agreements that were already signed.
The sanctions were not imposed on the country, but only a single institution in Turkey and four people, he underlined.
Criticising the sanctions, he said they were imposed by the US because under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership, Turkey refused to bow down to orders.
READ MORE: Turkey: US sanctions over Russian S-400 missile system a 'grave mistake'
Sanctions
The US on Monday imposed sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defence system.
The sanctions, coming under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, target the SSB, including Demir and three other officials.
Demir stressed "the S-400 air defence system bought by Turkey is the best in its class."
He also highlighted that the US sanctions will not create obstacles for Turkey, but rather will boost its determination.
In April 2017, when its protracted efforts to buy an air defence system from the US proved fruitless, Turkey signed a contract with Russia to acquire the S-400 shield.
US officials have voiced opposition to their deployment, claiming they would be incompatible with NATO systems and would expose next-generation F-35 jets to possible Russian subterfuge.
Turkey, however, stressed that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems, and pose no threat to the alliance or its armaments.
It has repeatedly urged a working group to clear up the technical compatibility issues.
READ MORE: After US sanctions on Turkey, what happens next?
Sanctions attack Turkey's 'sovereign rights'
The US's unilateral sanctions attack sovereign rights of Turkey and other countries, Turkey's foreign minister said on Thursday.
In an interview with Turkish news broadcaster 24 TV, Mevlut Cavusoglu said relations between the two countries could normalise if the US meets Turkey's expectations.
He stressed that the sanction decision is a wrong step both legally and politically.