Deputy Foreign Minister Levent Gümrükçü stated that for the first time in 10-15 years, they fully trust the US administration. He said they aim to establish much deeper defense industry cooperation between the US and Turkey.
Deputy Foreign Minister Levent Gümrükçü stated that for the first time in 10-15 years, they fully trust the US administration.
Gümrükçü said, "We aim to establish much deeper defense industry cooperation between the US and Turkey. When we recall how we came to the point of purchasing the S-400s, the importance of this will be better understood."
Reminding that Turkey's air defense system procurement process began in 2010, Gümrükçü noted that the US offer was always the most expensive and least reliable option. He said that after the July 15 coup attempt, systems in Turkey other than the Spanish Patriot system were shifted to other regions, and they had to purchase the S-400s to fill the urgent capability gap that emerged in 2016-2017.
Emphasizing that the US President's statement "Allies do not impose sanctions on each other" changed the rules of the game, Gümrükçü expressed hope that they could resolve this issue in the near future.