'F-35 jet programme doomed to failure if Turkey excluded' – Erdogan
Tensions between US and Turkey have worsened in recent months with Turkey set to begin receiving the S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile system, which the US says will jeopardise Ankara's role in the F-35 fighter jet programme.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the 14th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF'19) at Tuyap Fair and Exhibition Center, in Istanbul, Turkey on April 30, 2019.
The US' F-35 fighter jet programme is "doomed to complete failure" if Turkey's contributions are excluded, Turkey's president warned on Tuesday.
"Turkey did not and will not accept any impositions in the defence realm, just as in the areas of politics, diplomacy and the economy," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the 14th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF'19) in Istanbul.
He decried attempted "impositions" concerning the F-35s, referring to the US threats to cancel the sale over Turkey buying Russian S-400 missile defence.
"We think that those who try to exclude us on an issue where we are a project and production partner can’t see beyond the end of this.
"I am saying explicitly that the F-35 project is doomed to complete failure if Turkey is excluded," Erdogan said.
US-Turkey tension
Tensions between the US and Turkey have worsened in recent months with Turkey set to begin receiving the advanced S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile system, which Washington says will jeopardise Turkey's role in the F-35 fighter jet programme and could trigger congressional sanctions.
Erdogan also said Turkey has reduced its foreign defence industry dependence from 80 percent to 30 percent and it now exports defence industry products.
He added that the country is also making advances in unmanned aircraft worldwide.
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