Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on the 17th that although the US government imposed sanctions on Turkey, Turkey will not give in to the purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense missile system.
In an interview with a Turkish TV station that day, Cavusoglu said that the Turkish side is planning to counter US sanctions, but he did not specify the measures that the Turkish side might take.
The US government announced sanctions on Turkey on the 14th, on the grounds that Turkey purchased the S-400 system.
Turkey is the first NATO ally to be sanctioned by the United States under the "Sanctions Against the US Enemy Act."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that the US sanctions the Turkish Defense Industry Agency, which is responsible for ordering the S-400 system. Measures include prohibiting the issuance of US products and technology export licenses and authorizations to the Turkish Defense Industry Agency. Several Turkish personnel including Mir implemented measures such as property freezing and visa restrictions.
Regarding whether Turkey will cancel the S-400 system purchase contract with Russia, Cavusoglu said that if it wanted to “retreat”, Turkey would have done so long ago. “We are now evaluating the impact of these sanctions in detail... Corresponding (countermeasure) measures".
Cavusoglu said that Turkey's purchase of the S-400 system predates the US promulgation of the "Counter-U.S. Enemy Act with Sanctions", and that US sanctions are "wrong at the legal and political levels."
Turkey signed an S-400 system purchase contract with Russia in 2017, and the Russian side will begin delivery in 2019.
The United States and NATO are firmly opposed to Turkey's purchase of this weapon system, saying that it is not compatible with NATO's weapon system and may help Russia track the F-35 stealth fighter developed by the United States and its allies.
In July 2019, the United States suspended Turkey's qualifications to participate in the F-35 project, and threatened sanctions on Turkey many times.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in October this year that the Turkish side has already begun testing the S-400 system and that the US opposition is "not important."
US President-elect Joseph Biden is scheduled to be sworn in on January 20 next year.
Cavusoglu said that whether Turkish-U.S. relations can be improved depends on whether the Biden administration can eliminate Turkish grievances.
(Yan Jie) (Xinhua News Agency Special Feature)