By: panarmenian.net
Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/
The United States is talking to Turkey about its concern over Ankara’s decision to co-produce a long-range air and missile defense system with a Chinese firm under U.S. sanctions, ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone said on Thursday, Oct 24.
“We are very concerned about the prospective deal with the sanctioned Chinese firm. Yes this is a commercial decision, it is Turkey’s sovereign right, but we are concerned about what it means for allied air defence,” Ricciardone told reporters after meeting with Diplomacy Correspondents Association (DMD), according to Today’s Zaman.
Turkey, a member of the NATO military alliance, announced in September it had chosen the FD-2000 missile defense system from China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp, or CPMIEC, over rival systems from Russian, U.S. and European firms.
CPMIEC is under U.S. sanctions for violations of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act. “We have just begun expert discussions with Turkey and it will be done through official channels. We will have respectful conversations. We are concerned, but Turkey will make its own decision after examining the facts,” Ricciardone said.
Turkey has said it is likely to sign the $3.4 billion missile defense deal with CPMIEC but that its decision is not yet final. Some defense analysts had expected the contract to go to U.S. company Raytheon Co or the Franco-Italian Eurosam SAMP/T.
Diplomats say buying a system that does not work with NATO systems would hamper the ability of NATO allies to work together, undermining a principle of the 28-nation alliance.
According to Hurriyet Daily News, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rebuffed intensified international criticism over Turkey’s choice to agree the deal with China, a day after NATO declared that it wanted a say in the decision-making process.
“Nobody has the right to overshadow our understanding of independence,” Erdoğan said Oct 23 before departing for Kosovo.
The PM’s statement came a day after NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s remarks expressed the hope that NATO’s reaction would be taken into account before Turkey makes its final decision over the long-range anti-missile system.
Rasmussen stressed that NATO was completely aware that deciding which equipment to purchase is a national decision, but also stressed Turkey’s international commitments. “It’s of utmost importance that the system that a nation plans to acquire can work and operate together with similar systems in other Allied nations,” he said.
However, ignoring NATO’s stance on the issue, Erdoğan said there was no problem with the deal in terms of Turkey’s national preferences.
President Abdullah Gül also said that Turkey gave utmost importance to its relations with allies, but also it was “natural to consider national interests in such decisions.”
“There are many technical issues here, they were all calculated and this result came out,” Gül told reporters in Ankara. “The missiles to be bought and their integration are technical issues. No one should misinterpret it. Besides, there are similar applications in other NATO member states.”
Erdoğan said Turkey and China had already conducted an exercise with NATO’s knowledge and everything is proceeding by the book, adding that many points, including the operational capabilities of the missiles, the price and the option of joint production, had been taken into consideration when making the decision.
