Turkey Says Talks To Buy US Patriot Missiles Continue
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — Turkey says it is holding talks with the United States on the purchase of Patriot antiaircraft systems.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Anadolu news agency on March 1 that the United States has offered to sell the Patriots and “the delegations are negotiating.”
The comments come amidst a controversy between Washington and Ankara
over Turkey’s impending purchase of Russia’s advanced S-400 antiaircraft
systems.
Washington has said it could withdraw the offer to sell the Patriots if
Ankara proceeds with the purchase and has warned that the S-400 is not
compatible with NATO defense systems.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month that the S-400
purchase would proceed and that the first units would be delivered in
the autumn.
“We bought S-400s because we could not purchase Patriots,” he said.
