Signal to US and Biden, Turkey will send Russian missile expert home

ANKARA – Turkey will return the missile member Russia which oversees the S-400 air defense technology that has soured relations with the United States (US).

However, Turkey has ruled out discontinuing the use of the S-400.

The remarks came ahead of a planned meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels in mid-June.

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The move marks Ankara’s readiness to compromise on one element of U.S. concern.

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Washington says Turkey should end the presence of Russian personnel in the country to help with missile training and assembly.

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the system would be under Turkey’s control when the experts returned to Russia.

Cavusoglu insisted Ankara would not budge on Washington’s broader demand to get rid of the missiles in order for US sanctions on the weapons to be lifted.

“The S-400 will be in our 100% control. We have sent many technicians for training. Russian military experts will not stay in Turkey,” Cavusoglu said during a visit to Greece, state-run TRT television.

But he rejected US calls on Turkey not to activate the missile. “It is impossible to receive calls from other countries not to use them,” he said.

Cavusoglu said he would meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington or Ankara before the NATO leaders meeting.

Biden and the US Congress have both taken strong action against Turkey, in part over its acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missiles, which Washington says could gather intelligence about the capabilities of Western militaries including Lockheed Martin.

(sya)

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