President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey would take “positive steps” with France and Italy on the SAMP-T missile defence system developed by the Franco-Italian EUROSAM consortium.
Ankara, which has incurred U.S. sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence batteries, has also discussed in recent years acquiring or developing a system based on the SAMP-T, but has so far made little apparent progress.
Turkish president Erdogan at #G20 speaking about the meeting with italian president Draghi said Turkey, France, Italy will take positive steps on Samp-T missile defence systems
— Gabriella Colarusso (@gabriella_roux) October 31, 2021
Erdogan was speaking to reporters following the G20 summit in Rome, where he met with Italiam Prime Minister Mario Draghi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
US-Turkey relations
US President Joe Biden and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged Sunday to improve bilateral ties following a particularly tense period between Washington and Ankara.
Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, the two leaders “had a very constructive conversation” in which Biden “made clear his desire to have constructive relations with Turkey and to find an effective way to manage our disagreements,” a senior US administration official said.
Read more: 10 countries to severe diplomatic ties with Turkey
According to the Turkish presidency, the leaders “expressed their joint commitment to further strengthening Turkey-US relations and agreed to establish a joint mechanism to that effect”.
They also “stressed the importance of the NATO alliance,” the Turkish presidency said.
Turkey’s 2019 purchase of a Russian S-400 air defence system has been an irritant on ties, prompting Washington to block Ankara’s plans to buy about 100 next-generation US F-35 planes.
Erdogan has insisted on compensation, saying Washington could pay back at least part of the $1.4 billion advance payment Turkey made for the F-35s through the delivery of older-generation F-16 fighter jets.
Read more: Turkey eyeing F-16 fighters after F-35 plan killed
In addition, Erdogan earlier this month threatened to expel a slew of Western ambassadors, including from the United States, over their support for a jailed Turkish activist.
Reuters with additional input by GVS News Desk