Erdogan Wants U.S. Sanctions Unblocked On Some Turkish Defense Purchases

By Janet Ekstract, ISTANBUL – President of Türkiye Erdogan said U.S. sanctions that currently block some of Türkiye’s defense purchases, should be lifted and that other “unilateral” measures that keep Türkiye from achieving its long-term bilateral trade targets, end. While relations between Turkiye and the U.S. continue to be tense over a number of issues despite the fact that the two allies share a long-term goal of $100 billion in bilateral trade, up from $30 billion in 2023. Those contentious issues include policy differences in the Eastern Mediterranean, Syria and Gaza as well as the Turkish purchase of S-400 air defense systems from Russia that resulted in U.S. sanctions and removing Turkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019. Meanwhile, Turkiye went after procuring 40 Block-70 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernization kits from the U.S. with the deal approved earlier this year once Turkiye agreed to endorse Sweden’s bid to join NATO. As Erdogan had expressed: “I hope we have turned a new page with the F-16 modernization project, and we expect export restrictions in this field to be permanently lifted.” He added “We expect you, sector representatives, to launch the necessary initiatives within relevant institutions for these obstacles, which cause mutual losses, to be lifted.” During this week’s U.N. General Assembly, Erdogan told Turkish and American businesspeople that cooperation in the defense industry had “fallen very short” of its potential due to continuing restrictions. The Turkish leader added that his country is a major boon for supply chains, underscoring Turkish cooperation on production and procurement of 155mm ammunition, crucial in the Ukraine-Russian war. While Erdogan said his country supports Ukraine, he declared that he’s opposed to sanctions on Russia and that Turkiye would not participate in them. As Erdogan explained: “For this, unilateral applications like additional tariffs in the iron, steel and aluminum sectors, probes and the CAATSA sanctions need to be abandoned,” referring to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).  On Monday, when Erdogan spoke to American and Turkish businesspeople, he reiterated that the economy is of primary importance in relations between the U.S. and Turkiye. Erdogan remarked: “American has been the second country that we export the most to and the fifth that we import the most from in the last two years.” The Turkish president also aid he expects the U.S. to provide support for necessary facilities – particularly visas – for Turkish companies to enter the American market, adding “Your support is crucial to improve our current projects and to build new partnerships that will contribute to our common security. I am of the belief that the American business world can assume more efficient roles in terms of supporting our efforts.”