Turkish parliamentary speaker Mustafa Sentop has argued, in a comment to Sputnik, that the United States will not follow through on its threat to kick Turkey out of the F-35 fighter jet program over Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2019) Turkish parliamentary speaker Mustafa Sentop has argued, in a comment to Sputnik, that the United States will not follow through on its threat to kick Turkey out of the F-35 fighter jet program over Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems.
The United States claim that S-400 systems are not compatible with NATO defenses and may compromise the F-35 stealthy jet project. Washington said in June it would not accept more Turkish pilots for F-35 training unless it abandoned the agreement with Russia. Turkey refused, saying it was a done deal.
"Turkey being kicked on the sidelines and saying we are not providing F35 is scandalous as far as the international trade... is concerned. I don't think at the end of the day something like that will be happening," he said.
Sentop pointed out that the United States could not legally remove Turkey from the F-35 training program because it helped build and paid for the aircraft.
"F35 project has partners and Turkey is one of those partners. Therefore the US doesn't own that project 100%, it is not [as] if they are selling something [that is] 100% their own," he said.
He speculated that the United States had a hidden political agenda when it came to the S-400 dispute. He said Greece and Bulgaria had an earlier version of S-400 missiles but NATO did not seem to have an issue with them.
