Thursday, 26 November 2020_A high-ranking official from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) says Ankara does not anticipate Washington’s sanctions over its purchase of Russian-made S-400 defense missile systems after US president-elect Joe Biden takes office.
“The US president will most likely watch the balance in the Middle East very carefully for US interests, and will not want to continue the tense ties with Turkey ... I believe they will take positive steps in the future,” AK Party Deputy Chairman Numan Kurtulmus said in an interview with Reuters news agency on Thursday.
Kurtulmus highlighted that Turkey would not bow to pressure to return the Russian missile systems, or leave them unused.
“Sorry, but we didn't procure these to hide them. We got them to meet Turkey's security needs,” he said.
Late last month, a US State Department official warned that Turkey faces a “very real” risk of sanctions after Ankara tested its Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
“That risk is very real because they... continue to pursue the S-400,” R Clarke Cooper, a senior State Department official in charge of arms sales, said on October 28.
He added, “And, of course, with the testing of it, sanctions is very much something that is on the table.”
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