Ankara's statement that, if necessary, it can buy other weapons from Russia, raised the question: is Turkey withdrawing or should it withdraw from NATO? In addition, the rhetoric of the new head of the US State Department does not inspire hopes that the new administration will forgive Erdogan for buying the S-400 from Russia. Is the only way out — is to leave the alliance?
After the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, Turkey changed the concept of its defense policy. The strange statements of the US administration on the night of the coup attempt did not surprise anyone, but forced the Turkish leadership to make some changes in policy.
The statements in which the Turkish state and the" Fethullahist Terrorist Organization "(FETÖ) are like equal forces, the scandalous statements of the then Secretary of State John Kerry, the silence of Obama raised the question:" What is happening? " The opinion formed among the Turkish people that America is behind every coup has further undermined its credibility. When this was added to the transfer to the forces of the People's Self-Defense Units (YPG) of assistance in the amount of 20 thousand trucks with weapons, it became clear that, although relations between Turkey and America are not broken, from now on everything is hanging in the balance.
The US refusal to transfer the F-35 to Turkey only added fuel to the fire. It was obvious that on July 15, 2016, at the time of the air attack, Turkey had no defense. When America refused to provide such a defensive system, Turkey knocked on the door to the Russians. Negotiations began on the S-400,and eventually they were acquired. The system is in working order in Sinop. I hope it won't be necessary, but in the event of an attack from the air, we now have the strength to resist it.
The purchase of weapons by a NATO member country from Russia, which NATO considers almost an enemy, angered America. Threats of sanctions, indirect hints continued from 2018 until Biden's election victory in November 2020. Biden has taken over the country and is sending moderate signals so far. Although Secretary of State Antony Blinken uses harsh language against Turkey, the American leadership will obviously act more prudently in the transition from theory to practice.
Blinken's words about the "so-called strategic partner", Turkey's statement that if necessary, it can buy other weapons from Russia - such as aircraft-raised the question: is Turkey withdrawing or should it withdraw from NATO?..
Yesterday, January 28, the British Ambassador to Turkey, Sir Dominick Chilcott, answered questions from journalists from the Association of Diplomatic Correspondents. According to BBC Turkce, Chilcott made important statements about the free trade agreement signed between the UK and Turkey, the purchase of the S-400 and the Cyprus problem. These statements should be evaluated in the context of NATO.
A BBC Turkche correspondent asked Chilcott the following question about the S-400: "According to British press reports, the UK has sold 1.3 billion pounds worth of weapons to Turkey over the past seven years. The two countries are NATO allies, but, on the other hand, Turkey is going to strategic cooperation with Russia, acquiring the S-400 missile defense system. Given also the critical issues that still persist between the UK and Russia, how does the UK feel about buying the S-400?"
Chilcott replied: "We support the agreed position in NATO that the allies should not buy weapons from Russia. As you said, we are NATO allies. We cooperate in the defense industry, which is an important component of our bilateral relations. TFX combat aircraft is an extremely important project. The UK is committed to working together and cooperating with Turkey on defence. NATO has a principle regarding the purchase of military products from Russia. The NATO allies agreed among themselves that this should not be done. This is also the position of the British Government on this issue. We support the position agreed upon in NATO, according to which the allies should not buy military products from Russia or use Russian weapons. The only exceptions are countries that have received equipment from Russia since the Cold War. Our position is quite clear. We hope that in the future Turkey will cooperate in the field of defense industry with its NATO allies, and not with Russia…"
As you can see, the British ambassador in Ankara quite openly opposes the acquisition of weapons from Russia. Regarding the TFX fighter engines being developed in Turkey by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to replace the F-16 fighter jets, Chilcott said: "The British government hopes that Rolls-Royce will be the company working with Turkish partners in this project on the development and production of engines."
For the past few months, first of all, Erdogan and officials from the Turkish government have been saying: "Our course is the West." It is also important to say that the reform package will address legal issues related to investments, especially by foreign companies in Turkey.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has suspended several arms deals initiated by the former administration, including the approved sale of F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates. The US has resumed aid to Palestine, which was suspended during the Trump era. All this is important.
In this regard, Turkey should not withdraw from NATO, but should also cooperate with many countries, including Russia. It should have a wide range of alternatives. Of course, you also need to see the policy of Biden and his associates towards Turkey. America and the United Kingdom know that Turkey's withdrawal from NATO will largely weaken the West's position in front of Russia.
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