The political decision to lift the U.S. CAATSA sanctions against Turkey has essentially been made, said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Speaking in an interview with CNN Türk, Hakan Fidan stated that both the leaders and the governments of the two countries want the sanctions lifted and that the necessary technical procedures are now underway.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“Both leaders and both countries want this to be lifted. The practical steps that need to be taken by both the U.S. side and our own are currently underway. The announcement has already been made,” he said.
Hakan Fidan distinguished between the possible lifting of the ban on the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and the country’s full return to the program as a co-producer.
As he explained, lifting the ban on the sale of the aircraft is a simpler process, as it can be done through an administrative decision by the United States.
He clarified, however, that Turkey’s return to the F-35 production consortium is a separate and more complex issue.
The Turkish Foreign Minister also referred to the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara, saying that U.S. President Donald Trump had not initially intended to attend and that it was Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s personal phone call that changed his mind.
He described the Ankara Summit as the largest in NATO’s history, noting that it is taking place at a time when many serious international crises are occurring simultaneously.
Among these, he cited the war between Russia–Ukraine, the shifting stance of the United States toward transatlantic relations, and the growing concern among European countries regarding their security.
“Europe has not felt that it was facing such a great threat since World War II,” he said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Fidan said that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has received detailed briefings from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense, the head of the Communications Directorate, and the president of the Turkish Defense Industries Agency, and has already established the framework within which Turkey will participate in the Summit.
On the sidelines of the Summit, bilateral meetings are expected to take place not only with the United States, but also with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and other countries, whose delegations have requested meetings with Erdogan.
Furthermore, the Turkish foreign minister said that Israel is seeking new enemies in order to restore its international image.
“Israel is trying to create an enemy for itself,” he said, arguing that the Israeli government’s policies and mindset constitute “a burden that humanity can no longer bear.”
He added that Israel is not just a problem for Turkey, but for the entire world, making it clear that Ankara has no reason to back down in the face of any pressure.
Referring to broader Turkish-American relations, Hakan Fidan argued that the most significant point of friction between Ankara and Washington was U.S. support for the YPG in Syria.
According to him, this policy was officially abandoned during Donald Trump’s second presidential term.
The Turkish foreign minister further argued that Turkey and the United States share a common strategic approach both to ending the war in Ukraine and to stabilizing Syria.
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Source: KYPE
