You Don't Know Who You Are Playing With: Erdogan's Response to US Sanctions Threat

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, responding to the United States' threat of imposing sanctions on his country, stated that the United States does not know who it is dealing with. As reported by CNN Turk, Erdogan made these remarks during a congress of his ruling Justice and Development Party in Malatya, addressing the disagreements with the United States and his support for Azerbaijan.

“Some Americans call my brother Ilham Aliyev and say, ‘We know who is standing by you: You rely on Turkey, but we will impose sanctions on Turkey.’ But you (addressing the US) don’t know who you are playing with. Don't delay, impose your sanctions and let’s see. We took our step for the F-35 fighter jets, we paid you the money, and yet you have not given us our F-35s, you continue to threaten us by saying ‘return the S-400s you purchased from Russia.’ We are not a dwarf state, are we? We are Turkey, Turkey,” Erdogan said.

The President of Turkey also recalled that years ago, when he had just become Prime Minister, they sought drones from the US but did not receive them. “They didn’t give them to us, they delayed. What happened from that? We became the owners of drones, and now not just ordinary ones but strike drones. Those strike drones have become a model in the world. Some countries also want to create obstacles for us regarding strike drones,” highlighted the Turkish President.