|

Turkey rejects ultimatums, says will not back down on Russian S-400s

News Service
12:57 - 13/06/2019 Thursday
Update: 13:16 - 13/06/2019 Thursday
Turkish FM Çavuşoğlu meets French counterpart Le Drian
Turkish FM Çavuşoğlu meets French counterpart Le Drian

Turkey disapproves of France's close cooperation with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terror group's Syria affiliate, the YPG, said Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Thursday.

It is not possible to say that a full ceasefire is established in Syria's Idlib, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference with his French counterpart, after Turkey's observation point was shelled from Syrian government forces.

Çavuşoğlu also said Turkey will do what is necessary if attacks continue and that it expects Russia to put pressure on the Syrian government as a guarantor country.

Çavuşoğlu dismissed letters aimed at deterring Turkey from moving forward with its purchase of the powerful Russian S-400 missile defense systems.


"S-400s are coming and will be deployed. A response to these letters is being formulated. No one can give Turkey an ultimatum," said Çavuşoğlu.

Çavuşoğlu was responding to a question about a letter in which U.S. acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan warned Turkey that it would be pulled out of the F-35 fighter jet programme unless Ankara changed course from its plans to install the S-400s.

French officials said that their troops will remain in Syria after the U.S. pullout decision from the war-torn country.

Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the PKK, a designated terrorist group in Turkey, the EU and the U.S.

#Cavusoglu
5 years ago