Turkey is also considered to have damaged NATO security and the instability of the East Mediterranean.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BRUSSELS – United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sharply criticized Turkey at the last meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) this week. Pompeo highlighted Turkey’s decision to buy Russian weapons systems and their disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean.
According to a number of diplomats and officials, on Tuesday (12/1), the foreign ministers of NATO member countries held a secret virtual conference. During the meeting, Pompeo said Turkey had undermined NATO security and created instability in the East Mediterranean in friction with Greece and Cyprus.
Pompeo has also criticized Turkey’s decision to send paid Syrian fighters to Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh. According to him, that step was wrong. The US Department of Defense concluded this in a July report.
Pompeo’s criticism sparked further criticism of Turkey by other countries, including France, Greece and Luxembourg. A US official said Pompeo also discussed Turkey’s decision to buy a Russian-made missile system.
“The US has urged Turkey on several occasions to resolve the issue of the S-400 (Russian weapons system), stop using Syrian fighters in foreign conflicts, and stop provocative actions in the East Mediterranean,” the US official said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he could not reveal details in the secret NATO meeting. “I have just outlined the differences between the two countries and the extraordinary issues. We have to buy (the weapons system) from Russia because we cannot (buy them) from our allies,” he said.
The US is known to have threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey if it buys a Russian-made S-400 missile system. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made up his mind to buy the S-400. He is also ready to respond and even avenge the sanctions imposed by Washington.
The S-400 missile system is said to be superior to the US Patriot. Experts believe that the S-400 can detect and shoot down targets including ballistic missiles, enemy jets and drones up to a range of 600 kilometers, at an altitude of between 10 meters and 27 kilometers. The S-400 can travel at a maximum speed of 17,000 kilometers per hour, while the US Patriot is only 5,000 kilometers per hour.
source: Reuters
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