ANKARA: Turkiye and the United States are discussing the US sanctions and obstacles to Ankara rejoining the F-35 jet program but nothing has changed with respect to its possession of Russian S-400 air defenses, the defense ministry said on Friday.
The NATO allies have been at loggerheads since 2020 when Washington removed Ankara from Lockheed Martin’s fighter jet program and imposed sanctions over Turkiye’s acquisition of the S-400s, which Washington calls a security threat.
Turkiye says that move was unjust. Both sides have said they hope the CAATSA sanctions and US laws can be overcome in US President Donald Trump’s second term so that Turkiye can both buy the jets and return to the manufacturing program. US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack said on Wednesday that discussions continue on the issue, but noted US law would not permit Turkiye to operate or possess the S-400 system if it wants to return to the F-35 program.
Addressing Barrack’s comments at a press briefing, the Turkish defense ministry said: “There have been no new developments regarding the S-400 air defense systems, which has been put on the agenda in recent days.”
Turkiye’s diplomatic discussions with the US continue “on lifting sanctions and obstacles to the F-35 procurement and re-admitting our country to the program,” it said.
“Addressing the process regarding the F-35 project within the spirit of alliance, through mutual dialogue and constructive consultation, will contribute positively to bilateral relations,” the ministry added. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last week he believed Turkiye and the US would find a way to remove American sanctions “very soon.”
Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s broader defense systems. Turkiye rejects that and says the S-400s will not be integrated into NATO.
Turkiye says no change in Russian S-400s amid US talks on F-35s
https://arab.news/bt8vf
Turkiye says no change in Russian S-400s amid US talks on F-35s
- NATO allies have been at loggerheads since 2020 when Washington removed Ankara from Lockheed Martin’s fighter jet program
- Washington says the Russia’s S-400 air defenses pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s broader defense systems
UN-sanctioned migrant smuggler killed in western Libya
- In June 2018, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Al-Dabbashi, along with another five Libyan traffickers
CAIRO: A notorious militia leader in Libya, sanctioned by the UN for migrant trafficking across the Mediterranean Sea, was killed on Friday in a raid by security forces in the west of the country, according to Libyan authorities.
Ahmed Oumar Al-Fitouri Al-Dabbashi, nicknamed Ammu, was killed in the western city of Sabratha when security forces raided his hideout. The raid came in response to an attack on a security outpost by Al-Dabbashi’s militia, which left six members of the security forces severely wounded, according to a statement issued by the Security Threat Enforcement Agency, a security entity affiliated with Libya’s western government.
Al-Dabbashi, who was also sanctioned by the US Treasury for trafficking, was the leader of a powerful militia, the “Brigade of the Martyr Anas Al-Dabbashi,” in Sabratha, the biggest launching point in Libya for Europe-bound African migrants.
Al-Dabbashi’s brother Saleh Al-Dabbashi, another alleged trafficker, was arrested in the same raid, added the statement.
In June 2018, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Al-Dabbashi, along with another five Libyan traffickers. At the time, the UN report said that there was enough evidence that Al-Dabbashi’s militia controlled departure areas for migrants, camps, safe houses and boats.
Al-Dabbashi himself exposed migrants, including children, to “fatal circumstances” on land and at sea, and of threatening peace and stability in Libya and neighboring countries, according to the same report.
Al-Dabbashi was also sanctioned by the US Treasury for the same reason.
Libya has been a main transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The country was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
The country has been fragmented for years between rival administrations based in the east and the west of Libya, each backed by various armed militias and foreign governments.
