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The Russian Foreign Minister said that Moscow and Ankara will not be deterred by the sanctions for the acquisition of the S-400 missile system.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said military cooperation between his country and Turkey would not be deterred by the sanctions imposed by the United States on Ankara for the acquisition of a Russian missile defense system.
“Relations between Russia and Turkey are self-sufficient and self-sufficient, they do not depend on someone’s aggressive and hostile actions and whims,” ​​Lavrov said on Tuesday.
“They [their relations] are based on the national interests of each of our countries and on our determination to pursue mutual cooperation and mutual benefit by seeking a balance of interests. “
Earlier this month, the United States punished Turkey for purchasing Russia’s S-400 air defense system, imposing rare sanctions on a NATO ally, with officials in Washington saying the purchase of the Ankara’s missile system posed a threat to the security alliance.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then assured Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that the US sanctions were aimed at preventing Russia from making substantial income from the sale.
On Tuesday, Cavusoglu traveled to Moscow for talks with his counterpart Lavrov, who told reporters that “we have confirmed our mutual intention to develop military relations with Turkey”.
He added that President Vladimir Putin appreciated Turkey’s determination to “continue cooperation in this area despite continued illegitimate pressure from Washington”.
Cavusoglu said the US sanctions against Turkey were “an act of aggression against the sovereign rights of our country,” adding that Ankara would not give in to the pressure.
“We prefer to resolve all issues, including the S-400 issue through negotiations,” Cavusoglu said. “After introducing the sanctions, the United States announced that it was promoting dialogue. We have never been against dialogue.
Turkey took delivery of the $ 2.5 billion system last year, defying warnings that such military cooperation was incompatible with NATO and would allow Russia to improve its targeting of US stealth planes.
Cavusoglu also said at a joint press conference with Lavrov that Turkey’s relations with Russia are no alternative to its ties with NATO and the European Union.
The EU has also prepared punitive measures on Turkey’s dispute with Greek and Cypriot members over Mediterranean offshore rights.
Although Russia and Turkey are rivals in several conflicts, including Libya and Syria, Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan seek to maintain good relations.
The two countries are jointly monitoring a Russian-publicized truce over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after a six-week war between Armenia and Azerbaijan that left more than 6,000 dead.
Tensions between the two nations escalated over Nagorno-Karabakh as the fighting continued, with Russia accusing Turkey of deploying Syrian fighters to fight Armenian forces in the disputed region.
Earlier this month, Turkish police briefly arrested two Russian journalists in Istanbul for unauthorized filming of a drone production unit.
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