Turkey warns against US weapons sales ban in latest war of words

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A Turkish official on Sunday warned that Ankara would respond to the US halting weapons sales to its NATO ally, describing the move as “irrational and wrong.”

“If the United States imposes sanctions on us or takes such a step, Turkey will absolutely retaliate,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told broadcaster CNN Turk. “What needs to be done is the US needs to let go of this.”

Cavusoglu’s comments followed a proposal presented by US lawmakers looking to temporarily halt the sales of weapons and military equipment, including F-35 fighter jets, to Turkey.

“The cancellation of the F-35 aircraft sales [to Turkey] is unacceptable,” the Minister said, stating it was “wrong, illogical, and not fitting of the alliance” between the two NATO allies.

US representatives released details on Friday of a $717 billion annual defense policy bill, which outlined the move to put on hold weapons sales to Turkey.

Cavusoglu, who mentioned he would be visiting the US next week, asserted that Ankara would look elsewhere for new defense equipment should Washington move ahead with the sanctions.

“Turkey is not a country under your command,” he stated. “Threats are not the right approach.”

Ties between the NATO allies have deteriorated over the past few months, with tensions over both of the nations’ involvement in Syria sparking a war of words.

Last week, US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert strongly criticized Turkish measures in Syria’s Kurdish canton of Afrin, recognizing the forced displacement of US allies in the embattled country.

“140,000 people have been displaced from Afrin,” she stated, “and as far as we can tell, they are not being allowed back into their homes.”

In response, Ankara attacked Washington for slamming the ongoing demographic change in the northwestern Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) canton.

“The Spokesperson of the US State Department, under the influence of the smear campaign of the [People’s Protection Units (YPG)] terrorist organization and by referring to unverified assumptions, has made an unfortunate statement about the Operation Olive Branch,” a statement on the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

Other NATO allies, such as Germany, have also been asked by parties opposed to Ankara’s incursion into Syria to reconsider their sale of weapons to Turkey.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany