Turkey is determined to get back $1.4B as talks on F-35 fighter jets continue with the US, President Erdogan says, adding that the issue of Ankara’s rights will be raised with President Biden in Rome.
Increased dialogue and cooperation with Turkey would better serve neighbourly relations and regional stability.
Washington is engaged with Ankara over "an F-35 dispute resolution," says US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, but adds he would not "prejudge the outcome of" those discussions.
Turkish-American defense cooperation is at a crossroads, and set to be a flashpoint during the Erdogan-Biden G20 meeting later this month.
With Washington rebuffing Ankara’s attempts to resolve festering bilateral issues, the shaky relationship between the two NATO allies doesn't appear to be turning the corner anytime soon.
President Erdogan says Moscow's decisions in the war-torn Syria are a threat to southern Turkey, urging President Putin to adopt a new approach "as a requirement of solidarity."
Going back to the drawing board again could see the ageing F-16’s replaced in 2040, once they’re 60 years old.
Turkey had procured the S-400 missile defence systems from Russia after talks with the US on its American Patriot defence systems had broken down when the Obama administration refused to sell the Patriots to Turkey.
Last month, the United States imposed sanctions on Turkey’s defence industry chief and others over Ankara’s acquisition of S-400 missile defence systems from Russia, a move that Turkey called a “grave mistake.”
The United State’s threatened sanctions on Turkey and its previous exclusion from the F-35 program are rooted in undeclared motives, and the inability to admit that the Patriot missile system is not what it’s claimed to be.
Turkish presidential spokesman said that US President-elect Biden "knows Turkey," including its political actors and landscape.
The US, which has previously fought the Wagner group in Syria, says the UAE gave logistical help and air cover to mercenaries accused of atrocities in Libya.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel for all latest in-depth, on the ground reporting from around the world.
Copyright © 2021 TRT World.
Like
Follow