Turkey has again asked the United States to sell its Patriot missile systems and is waiting for a response, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday
DOHA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2019) Turkey has again asked the United States to sell its Patriot missile systems and is waiting for a response, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday.The US approved the sale last December in the hope that Turkey would tear up a deal with Russia to purchase S-400 surface-to-air missiles. Regardless, Russian deliveries went ahead and the US said in August that the offer was off the table.
"Turkey believes that the US is still our ally as we are their allies ... No one can cancel the deal with Russia to buy S-400s, it's a done deal. Russia's offer was more lucrative. Now we are ready to buy the US-made Patriot system and are waiting for a response," Cavusoglu said.
Speaking at a forum in Qatar's Doha, the top Turkish diplomat again warned the US that Turkey would retaliate against any sanctions it might impose over the Russian missile deal.
The US has started unwinding Turkey from their joint program to build F-35 fighters and has threatened it will not sell the jets to Ankara for fear the technology could be compromised by the proximity to Russian technicians servicing the S-400, which the Pentagon claims is incompatible with NATO defenses.
