Anadolu |
The defense minister of Turkey, on Wednesday, objected to a letter sent by the U.S. saying it “is not in line with the spirit of the alliance”.
Speaking to reporters in Gebele, Azerbaijan, Hulusi Akar said: “We have noticed that the manner is not in line with the spirit of alliance. We are accordingly preparing a response.”
U.S acts against its Turkish ally
U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to Akar in Turkey last week saying Washington will cut short a training program on F-35 fighter jets for Turkish pilots over “safety concerns”.
US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan’s letter to Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar of June 6, 2019 pic.twitter.com/LSZym6RRKj
— Paola v. Eulenburg (@p_von_eulenburg) June 8, 2019
“We’ve suspended some of the activities in terms of training. We haven’t suspended any of the maintenance activity,” the letter said.
Akar reiterated that Turkey has always remained committed to its responsibility toward NATO and the U.S.
Turkey responds
“To date, we have fulfilled all of our responsibilities without any delay or interruption toward the U.S. and NATO,” he said.
Akar also said that he will speak to Shanahan over the phone on Thursday and meet at the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting in Brussels by the end of June.
Tensions between the U.S. and Turkey have lingered on over the purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems by Ankara.
Read more: Washington and Ankara lock horns over arms deal
Turkey decided in 2017 to purchase the S-400 system following protracted efforts to purchase air defense systems from the U.S. with no success.
Washington maintains the move will jeopardize Turkey’s role in the U.S. F-35 fighter jet program and could trigger congressional sanctions.
U.S. Turkey conflict extends beyond S-400
(Analysis by GVS news desk)
The disagreement over Turkey’s purchase of the Russian defense system is one of multiple recent conflicts between the two NATO allies. The alliance between both parties has already been strained by the conflicting opinions regarding the strategy in Syria, and the U.S. sanctions imposed upon Iran.
Anadolu with additional input by GVS news desk