US Ambassador to Turkey signals support for country’s return to F-35 program

[Reuters]

US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said Washington wants Turkey to instrumentality to the F-35 combatant pitchy programme and expressed assurance that issues linked to Ankara’s Russian S-400 aerial defence system could σύντομα beryllium resolved.

Speaking astatine the yearly Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Barrack said, “I think you’re going to spot the S-400 λύση solved soon. From my boss’s constituent of view, acceptance into an F-35 programme is fine,” adding “Greece has S-300s and F-35s.” 

Turkey is reportedly considering returning the S-400 systems purchased from Russia successful an effort to amended relations with the US and reopen entree to the F-35 program. The US, arsenic reiterated by Barrack successful December, has maintained that Turkey indispensable region the Russian systems to rejoin the program, from which it was expelled successful 2019.

Commenting connected Greek-Turkish relations, Barrack said, successful a lighter remark: “The Greece-Turkey issue… that’s different historical issue… I won’t adjacent effort to get there, due to the fact that they’ll forbid maine from ever going to Mykonos again.”