ISTANBUL: Turkiye has seen an easing of US sanctions on its defence sector since Donald Trump became president, with steps toward ending the measure advancing quickly, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday. We can easily say that there is a softening in CAATSA,,” he told reporters while returning from a European summit, referring to US sanctions legislation.
In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system under a 2017 law known as CAATSA, which aims to limit Russia’s military influence.
Washington said that the S-400’s presence would enable the Russians to gather data on the stealth jet’s capabilities, so it also kicked Turkiye out of its F-35 program. Erdogan said that Turkiye had brought up the sanctions issue with Trump and Tom Barrack, his recently appointed ambassador to Ankara.
Erdogan declared that Turkiye appreciated “every positive step in this direction,” adding, “We have achieved a more open, constructive, and sincere communication on these issues since my friend Trump took office.
I believe we’ll go through the CAATSA process a lot quicker. There are to be no limitations or barriers in the defence area between us as two outstanding NATO members,” he stated.
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