Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the US sanctions infringe on his country's sovereign rights and aim to harm its defense industries, stressing that Turkey will accelerate its steps in defense industries to reach global leadership.

On Monday, the United States of America announced the imposition of sanctions on Ankara, over its purchase and testing of the Russian S-400 air defense missile system.

Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey in accordance with the Law on Punishment of Countries Cooperating with Adversaries of the United States of America, known as "CAATSA", signed by President Donald Trump and entered into force on August 2, 2017.

Erdogan indicated that it was the first time that sanctions were imposed according to the American "Katsa" law on a member state of NATO.

He added that Turkey was not subjected to such sanctions for the first time, but rather sanctions were imposed on it in 1974, stressing that his country had passed the stage of standing up to such sanctions and would surpass all difficulties.

He pointed out that the United States did not fulfill any of Ankara's conditions in order to purchase defense systems, and that it had made known the weapon of sanctions against Turkey because it met its needs from elsewhere.

Erdogan stressed that Turkey will double its efforts for the independence of defense industries in all respects, and that it will stand firmly with the head of the Defense Industries Corporation, Ismail Demir, and the rest of the officials in the establishment who were targeted by the US sanctions.

The Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg had expressed his regret for the United States' imposition of sanctions on Turkey, saying that "the dispute must be settled in a satisfactory manner, considering Turkey's purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia a sovereign decision."

He stressed that the Russian system is not compatible with NATO's defense system, and therefore it will not be integrated into NATO's air and anti-missile defense system.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Ankara, Al-Mu'taz Billah Hasan, said that the Turkish statements increased with the statements of President Erdogan, especially as the sanctions target people in the Turkish Defense Industries Administration.

He added that Turkey believes that these sanctions are aimed at blocking its efforts to develop defense projects, and that Ankara's response will be to increase domestic production of weapons.

Undermining trust

On Tuesday, Ankara said that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed in a phone call with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo Washington’s decision to impose sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of a Russian air defense system.

The ministry said that Cavusoglu conveyed Ankara's response to the US decision.

In turn, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar considered that the US sanctions on his country shake all the values ​​of the alliance between Ankara and Washington.

And he considered that the sanctions against a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization "NATO" will not only harm the spirit of the alliance, but also undermine confidence among the allies.

He added that the Turkish government will take all measures to protect the security of its citizens and their country, which is under dangerous air and missile threats, as he put it.

United front

For its part, the Turkish parliament showed a rare unity of its kind on Tuesday in its condemnation of the US sanctions, and said that the country will not hesitate to protect itself in the face of threats.

In a joint statement, 4 of the five major parties in Parliament stressed that relations with the United States must be based on mutual respect, and that the sanctions imposed due to the country's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system "are not in line with the spirit of the alliance."

"We call on the United States to immediately reverse this grave mistake," the statement added, adding that Turkey "will not back down in the face of sanctions or threats."

The statement was signed by the ruling Justice and Development Party, the National Movement, the Good Party, and the Republican People's Party.

The Khair and Al Shaab parties are known to be rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party.

The statement was not signed by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the second largest opposition party represented in Parliament.