Erdogan Seeks End to US Sanctions, Eyes Closer Trade and Defense Ties
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged the United States to lift sanctions blocking some defense purchases by Turkey and other “unilateral” measures that hinder the two NATO allies from achieving their long-term bilateral trade targets. Speaking during his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, Erdogan emphasized the importance of removing these barriers to foster stronger economic and defense ties between the two nations.
Relations between Turkey and the US have been strained in recent years over various issues, including policy differences in the eastern Mediterranean, Syria, and Gaza, as well as Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems. This acquisition prompted US sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and led to Turkey’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019.
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Erdogan highlighted the approval of Turkey’s request to purchase 40 Block-70 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernization kits from Washington as a positive step toward thawing relations, following Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership. However, he stressed that more needs to be done to remove remaining trade and defense restrictions.
“For this, unilateral applications like additional tariffs in the iron, steel, and aluminum sectors, probes, and the CAATSA sanctions need to be abandoned,” Erdogan told a group of Turkish and American business leaders. He expressed hope that the F-16 modernization project would mark a turning point and called for export restrictions in the defense sector to be permanently lifted.
