Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated in an interview that his American counterpart Marco Rubio admitted that the CAATSA law regarding American sanctions against Turkey does not allow the government to backtrack from its position. Specifically, Hakan Fidan, speaking to television station A Haber, was asked about Turkey’s return to the F-35 fighter program. According to ertnews, he argued that when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the White House on September 25, President Trump said that the CAATSA law should not burden US-Turkey relations and gave relevant instructions to his administration.
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What Marco Rubio told Hakan Fidan
However, as the Turkish Foreign Minister reported, Marco Rubio allegedly said while talking with him: “I was a senator, I was on the side that voted for the law. Now I am executive, I came to the administration’s side. I am Secretary of State. The president (Donald Trump) gave me a directive to implement it. Now I look at the text. We have written a text such that the administration cannot move from its position.” According to the head of Turkish diplomacy, as long as there is good will in Turkey-US relations, solutions can be found. “I hope,” he continued, “that there are some solutions to this issue, for which our president has also expressed his will. We will inform public opinion when the time comes.” As Turkey’s Foreign Minister noted, the important thing is this: “America, unlike Biden, has the intention to solve it. Mr. Trump has given orders on this issue, he has expressed his will. We are monitoring the issue […] We hope to solve it as soon as possible.”
Hakan Fidan: There are obstacles due to objections from Greece and Cyprus
Referring to the European defense funding program SAFE, Hakan Fidan acknowledged that there are obstacles due to objections from Greece and Cyprus, which must give their consent. “However, the use of the remaining resources of the 800 billion euros and, on the other hand, the continuous establishment of companies and partnerships of our companies in the European Union will allow us to utilize these resources satisfactorily,” he added.
As he said, there is continuous coordination between the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Industry Directorate on this issue. At the diplomatic level, Turkey is active, he noted, regarding its role in Europe’s overall security architecture.
