Erdogan wants the US to lift the sanctions that are stopping people from buying defense equipment

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged the removal of U.S. restrictions that impede some defense acquisitions by Turkey and other unilateral actions that obstruct NATO partners from achieving long-term bilateral economic objectives.

Relations among the allies have deteriorated due to various issues in recent years, including policy disagreements in the eastern Mediterranean, Syria, and Gaza, as well as Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems, which led to U.S. sanctions and Turkey’s expulsion from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019.

Subsequently, Ankara sought to acquire 40 Block-70 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modification kits from Washington. The agreement was sanctioned following Turkey’s endorsement of Sweden’s NATO application, resulting in an improvement in bilateral relations.

Ankara and Washington want to achieve $100 billion in bilateral commerce, an increase from approximately $30 billion in 2023.

While attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Erdogan informed Turkish and American business leaders that, although he deemed the objective achievable, collaboration in the defense sector had “fallen very short” of its potential owing to persisting constraints.

He stated on Monday that unilateral measures such as supplementary tariffs in the iron, steel, and aluminum industries, investigations, and the CAATSA sanctions must be discontinued, referencing the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Erdogan stated, “I anticipate that we have initiated a new chapter with the F-16 modernization project, and we expect the export restrictions in this domain to be permanently abolished.”

In addition to the F-16s, Turkey has expressed interest in the Eurofighter Typhoon fighters from Germany, Britain, and Spain, however it has voiced concerns on the lack of advancement due to Berlin’s hesitance.

On Monday, Erdogan met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in New York, as reported by his office, which stated that he expressed Ankara’s willingness to enhance collaboration in all sectors and capitalize on mutual prospects that would be advantageous for both parties.