Excluding Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet project would seriously decrease the defense of NATO, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Thursday.
The F-35 project is a "commercial treaty," and Turkey will defend all its rights in that respect, he during an interview in Brussels, where he was attending a defense ministers' meeting at NATO headquarters.
Turkey joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program in 2002 and has invested more than $1.25 billion. It also manufactures various aircraft parts for all F-35 variants and customers.
Stressing that Turkey expected a relationship with the U.S. based on mutual respect and friendship, he assumed that the two countries would be able to move forward on a "constructive road" on this issue.
He also reiterated Turkey's call for a formation of a working group with the participation of NATO on Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 missiles in order to discuss the concerns of the U.S.
Tensions between the U.S. and Turkey have escalated in recent months over the Russian S-400 air defense systems purchase, which Washington said will jeopardize Turkey's role in the F-35 fighter jet program and could trigger sanctions.
Following protracted efforts to purchase an air defense system from the U.S. with no success, Ankara decided in 2017 to purchase the Russian S-400s.
U.S. officials urged Turkey to buy U.S. Patriot missiles, arguing the Russian system would be incompatible with NATO systems and expose the F-35s to possible Russian subterfuge.
Turkey, however, emphasized the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems and would not pose a threat to the alliance.
Turkey recently urged the formation of a commission to clarify any technical issues, but the U.S. has failed to respond to this proposal.
