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TEHRAN, May 05 - Turkey will never bow to U.S. sanctions over its agreement to purchase Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense systems, Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Sunday regarding a deal that has strained ties between the NATO allies.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Washington says the systems are not compatible with NATO equipment and may compromise its Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets. It has warned of possible U.S. sanctions if Ankara pushes on with the Russian deal.
Turkey, a prospective buyer and a partner in the production of the F-35s, has said the S-400s and jets would not impact each other and that it will not abandon its deal with Russia.
It has proposed forming a working group with Washington to assess the impact of the S-400s, but says it has not received a response yet.
Speaking to broadcaster Kanal 7, Oktay said the U.S. concerns are unreasonable and that the planned July delivery date for the S-400s remained unchanged.
"When Turkey signs an agreement, Turkey keeps its promise. We signed this agreement and certain payments were made," Oktay said. "I don't think the arguments and concerns here have a lot to lean on," he said.
The United States has also offered to sell Turkey its rival Raytheon Co. Patriot defense systems, which Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara was still evaluating.
Source: Reuters
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