THOSE THREATENING TURKEY WITH SANCTIONS WILL BE DISAPPOINTED: ERDOGAN

Sat 19 December 2020:

Those who threaten Turkey with sanctions will end up disappointed, the nation’s president said on Saturday.

“We are determined to put across that Turkey will never hesitate to use its sovereign rights,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a highway opening.

Erdogan, addressing the opening ceremony via video link, added: “Becoming a major hub for intercontinental trade is a major achievement for Turkey which will benefit all 83 million of our people.”

On international investments in Turkey, the president said: “We expect a big breakthrough in the days to come.”

The US on Monday imposed sanctions on Turkey over its acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.

President @RTErdogan: “We will speed up our steps in every area to build a globally leading defense industry.” pic.twitter.com/4m5zpmdCRN

— Turkish Presidency (@trpresidency) December 16, 2020

The sanctions target Turkey’s Defense Industries Presidency (SSB), including its top officials.

In April 2017, when its protracted efforts to buy an air defense system from the US proved futile, Turkey signed a contract with Russia to acquire the state-of-art missile shield.

US officials have voiced opposition to their deployment, claiming they would be incompatible with NATO systems and would expose F-35 jets to possible Russian subterfuge.

Turkey, however, stressed that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems, and poses no threat to the alliance or its armaments.

Turkish officials have repeatedly proposed a working group to examine the technical compatibility issue.