Turkey begins receiving Russian missiles in challenge to USA and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
- by Lorene Schwartz
- in People
- — Jul 18, 2019
Russian Federation began delivery of an advanced missile defense system to Turkey on Friday, a move expected to trigger USA sanctions against a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally and drive a wedge into the heart of the Western military alliance. Open source tracking of the ADS-B transponders on Russian An-124 transports showed the aircraft landing at the airbase.
Despite the warnings, the administration was publicly silent on how it would respond to Turkey's announcement Friday that it received the first shipment of the S-400 system.
The delivery was made earlier today with the equipment reaching an air base northwest of the capital Ankara, the ministry said.
For its part, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation expressed concern about the possible consequences of Turkey's decision to acquire the "S 400" system.
"It is no secret that Erdogan is positioning Turkey to be a "Eurasian" power, which means that Turkey needs to balance its relationship with China and Russian Federation as much as it does with the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation", he told AFP.
Indian authorities are keenly observing reaction from the United States after Russian Federation delivered its S-400 missile system to Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to purchase the S-400 system, Russia's most advanced anti-aircraft weaponry, compromises the US-Turkish relations which have seen the two North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies at odds over issues such as Syria.
Turkey has refused to bow to US pressure, insisting that choosing which defense equipment to purchase is a matter of national sovereignty.
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Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said: "As far as we have been told, the systems will be operational by October 2019". USA officials said last week the administration still plans to impose sanctions on Turkey. "Unfortunately, he has clearly made the wrong one", said Eliot Engel and Michael McFaul, the top Democrat and Republican respectively on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Under legislation known as Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which targets purchases of military equipment from Russia, Trump should select five of 12 possible measures.
With a range of 400 kilometers and an altitude of close to 32 kms, S-400 Triumf is created to shield from air strikes, strategic, cruise, tactical and operating tactical ballistic missiles and medium-range ballistic missiles, as well as neutralize drones.
These vary from banning visas and denying entry to the USA -based Export-Import Financial institution, to the harsher choices of blocking transactions with the US monetary system and denying export licenses.
According to the Washington Post, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended the deal, saying Turkey had a sovereign right to defend itself.
Washington has also said Turkey will not be allowed to participate in the programme to produce hi-tech F-35 fighter jets.
Turkey maintains that it has fulfilled all of its financial obligations concerning the F-35 program and can not be excluded from the project.
"It is no secret that Erdogan is positioning Turkey to be a "Eurasian" power, which means that Turkey needs to balance its relationship with China and Russian Federation as much as it does with the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation", he told AFP. "This is very important because Russian Federation has made Turkey a key player in its Middle East policy, notably on the Syria question". Turkey has lengthy demanded Washington hand over a Muslim cleric which Ankara holds chargeable for an tried coup in 2016.