Turkey, US Will Continue Talks To Settle Disputes Over Ankara's S-400 Purchase - Erdogan

Faizan Hashmi Published December 05, 2019 | 09:23 PM

Ankara and Washington will continue talks to settle disputes over Turkey's acquisition of Russia's S-400 missile systems, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, commenting on the results of the NATO leaders' summit in London from December 3-4

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th December, 2019) Ankara and Washington will continue talks to settle disputes over Turkey's acquisition of Russia's S-400 missile systems, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, commenting on the results of the NATO leaders' summit in London from December 3-4.

On Wednesday, The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee scheduled for next week deliberations on legislation that would penalize Turkey's government for purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. The bill declares Turkey's acquisition of the S-400 as "a significant transaction" under Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and requires the US president to impose five or more of the CAATSA sanctions on the Turkish government.

"We had a fruitful meeting with US President Donald Trump. We will seek to increase the volume of trade up to $100 billion in bilateral relations .

.. As for S-400 [missile systems] and F-35 [US fighter jets], our colleagues, who we authorized to do it [settle the disputes], will continue their work," Erdogan told reporters, as quoted by the Turkish Anadolu news agency.

The S-400 systems have been supplied from Russia since mid-July and are expected to become fully operational by April 2020. The US has repeatedly objected to Ankara's purchase of the S-400, saying that the weapons system is incompatible with NATO security standards and might therefore compromise the operations of new fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets. In July, it suspended Turkey's participation in the F-35 program and threatened to completely remove the country from the project. The Turkish government has so far refused to succumb to Washington's pressure.