Baku, Azerbaijan, July 19
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Suspension of Ankara’s participation in the F-35 program will have a negative impact on NATO, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, Trend reports referring to Turkish media.
Akar noted that Ankara also calls on Washington to be more responsible in making decisions on Turkey.
Earlier, US Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen M. Lord said that Turkey will be formally removed from the F-35 program by March 2020.
The decision to exclude Turkey from the F-35 program came as Washington’s reaction to the supply of Ankara with the modern Russian S-400 air defense system.
Deliveries of S-400, which caused a crisis in relations between Turkey and the US, began on July 12. As stated by the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the full installation of the air defense system will be completed in April 2020.
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