Daijiworld Media Network - Ankara
Ankara, Jul 11: Turkey is hopeful of securing the lifting of US sanctions and making progress on its bid to purchase F-35 fighter jets, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday, stressing that there should be no defence industry restrictions between NATO allies.
Speaking to state broadcaster TRT Haber, Fidan said both Ankara and Washington had demonstrated the political will to resolve the outstanding issues, with officials from both sides working towards an agreement.
His remarks came after US President Donald Trump, during his visit to Ankara this week for the NATO Summit, announced on Tuesday that the United States would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey following its purchase of Russia's S-400 air defence missile systems.
"There are two matters to be resolved in Turkey-US relations that are subject to US legislation. CAATSA is one of them. The issue of the F-35 jets is another. God willing, we will reach a conclusion soon; in other words, I do not think there will be any problems in this regard," Fidan said.
The United States imposed sanctions on Turkey in 2020 under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) after Ankara acquired the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system. Washington also removed Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme.
Under legislation passed by the US Congress, Turkey must relinquish possession of the S-400 systems before it can be readmitted to the F-35 programme.
According to Fidan, negotiations are progressing positively, with the relevant ministers from both countries working to remove the sanctions and resolve the fighter jet issue.
Earlier this week, two sources told Reuters that President Trump was expected to support the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey during his visit to Ankara. However, Trump later said he had "not totally made up his mind" on the matter.
Meanwhile, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Friday that Ankara could announce plans to resell its S-400 missile systems to a Gulf nation as early as Friday in an effort to persuade the United States to approve the F-35 sale.
Responding to the report, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had been in contact with Ankara over what he described as an "extremely sensitive issue", when asked whether Turkey had sought Russia's approval for any such transfer.