Erdogan Claims US Sanctions Will Not Affect Turkey's Defense Industry

The United States' sanctions against Turkey will not harm the country's defense industry. This statement was made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.

It is worth noting that the U.S. has started to implement sanctions against Turkey, accusing Ankara of purchasing Russian defense systems. The sanctions have been enforced against the President of Turkey’s Defense Industry, Ismail Demir, and three other senior officials. The issue at hand is the acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense systems. Washington has labeled this move as a “grave mistake.”

In Erdogan's first public statement regarding this matter, he asserted that the problems arising from the sanctions can be overcome. He also stated that his country would continue efforts to promote independence in the defense sector.

Washington claims that S-400 systems pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and NATO's wider defense systems. Turkey denies this allegation and insists that the S-400 systems will not be integrated into NATO. According to Erdogan, the U.S. concerns over this issue lack technical grounds.

In his statement on Wednesday, he also mentioned that Ankara is still producing nearly a thousand parts for the F-35 fighter jets, despite being excluded from the program due to the S-400s.

Concluding his remarks, Erdogan showcased Turkey's indigenous missile defense system, HISAR-A+, the production of which, according to him, had been delayed due to an embargo on one of the necessary components. He did not specify which country refused to sell that part to Turkey.