China News Service, April 12th. According to the Russian satellite network citing local Italian media sources, Turkey has suspended the purchase of a helicopter worth 70 million euros from Leonardo in Italy after a diplomatic dispute broke out between Italy and Turkey.
A few days ago, Turkish President Erdogan met with two senior EU officials in an embarrassing scene. The three met, but only two chairs were placed. In the end, European Commission President Von der Lein had to sit on the side sofa.
This incident caused intense controversy.
On the 8th, Italian Prime Minister Draghi stated that Erdogan’s move was "humiliating" Von der Lein, and he "absolutely disagrees with Erdogan's actions against Chairman Von der Lein."
In response, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu stated that Draghi’s remarks were unacceptable, and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had summoned the Italian ambassador.
It is reported that Italy’s “Republican” and “Daily Facts” stated on the 11th that the Turkish authorities demanded an official apology from the Italian government and would not be satisfied with clarifying through diplomatic channels.
An article published in the "Republic" stated that the Turkish authorities began to send out threatening signals because they had not yet received a reply from Rome.
According to the report, at present, the purchase of training helicopters worth 70 million euros is frozen, and the transaction should have been signed in the next few days.
Three other Italian companies have also received warnings, including Ansaldo Energia, a large power engineering company that is building power plants in Turkey.