Tensions with Washington mounted over U.S. support for Kurdish militants in Syria that Turkey considers terrorists, and the relationship with the European Union soured as the bloc pushed back against what it sees as Turkey's autocratic turn since the failed coup of July 2016 against President Erdogan's regime.
Just recently, Germany suspended arms sales to Turkey, the latest of a series of differences that led to a sharp degradation to their bilateral ties even though they are close economic partners.
"As a sovereign state, Turkey can naturally buy the S-400, but integration to the NATO system is another thing. It is simply not possible to do it unless Turkey is planning to deploy them as part of its national system, outside NATO's realm," explained to Xinhua Ozgur Eksi, defense analyst with C4 Defense, an online defense and military specialized news operator.
NATO does not ban purchases of military hardware from manufacturers outside the alliance, but it does discourage members from buying non-compatible equipment.
Turkey has bought in 1990s military helicopters from Russia that it used especially in the conflict against armed Kurdish rebels in southeastern provinces, at a time when the U.S. and other western powers banned arms sales to Ankara because of human right issues.
The dominant Turkish president swiftly dismissed western criticism by saying, "No one has the right to discuss the Turkish Republic's independence and independent decisions concerning its defense requirements."
【国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Turkeys S-400 deal signals closer ties with Russia but no alternative to NATO】相关文章:
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