Foreign Desk Report
ANKARA: Turkey’s proposal to not fully activate its controversial Russian S-400 missile system offers an olive branch to the new US administration to start negotiations over the issue that has severely strained bilateral ties, according to analysts.
Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said in an interview with a Turkish newspaper that his country is open to a deal similar to one with Greece, another NATO member, which was made after it bought S-300s – an older generation the Russian defence system – in 1997.
“There is no decision to use them [S-400s] constantly,” Akar was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet daily on Tuesday, adding the missiles could be deployed only if Turkey comes under threat.
Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 system has been one of the key issues that have clouded relations between Turkey and the United States, leading to the imposition of American sanctions.
Akar reiterated Ankara’s call for talks with the United States over the Russian S-400s, which has so far been ignored by new US President Joe Biden’s administration.
“We have said the negotiations could be held under the umbrella of NATO. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said he was positive about the issue,” the Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.
Washington says the S-400 system might be used by Moscow to secretly acquire classified information on American and NATO weaponry, posing a serious risk to the alliance.
