ZCZC
BFF-30
TURKEY-US-POLITICS
Turkey says US failed to report true content of Pompeo talks
ANKARA, April 4, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Turkey on Thursday accused the US State
Department of making false claims after a meeting between top US and Turkish
diplomats to discuss tense ties between the NATO allies.
Washington and Ankara are at odds over issues including US support for a
Syrian Kurdish militia viewed as terrorists by Ankara and Turkey’s purchase
of a Russian missile system over US objections.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo held talks on Wednesday during the Turkish official’s visit to
Washington as part of 70th anniversary celebrations of the NATO alliance.
The US State Department said Pompeo had warned Ankara of “devastating
consequences” if Turkey launches an offensive in Syria and urged the “swift
resolution” of legal cases involving US citizens and US mission employees
under investigation in Turkey.
Pompeo also pressed Causoglu about Turkey’s plans to buy the S-400 missile
defence system from Russia, which Washington has warned could put Ankara at
risk of US sanctions, the State Department said in a statement.
But Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said on Thursday that
the readout “not only fails to reflect the content of the meeting, but also
contains matters that were not even raised during said meeting”.
It was not clear what “matters” Aksoy was referring to in his statement
and foreign ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.
Aksoy said similar problems had arisen after previous talks, and urged
statements to be prepared with “greater care”.
Ties have been frayed recently by Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400
missiles, which US officials fear have technology that will allow Moscow to
gather data from NATO aircraft.
The US wants Turkey to instead opt to buy the US Patriot system.
Washington responded earlier this week by suspending Turkey’s
participation in the F-35 fighter-jet programme, in which Turkey has invested
over $1 billion.
In a PBS Newshour interview broadcast on Wednesday, Cavusoglu said Ankara
proposed “to form a technical working group and to examine” any US concerns
over the S-400s.
Cavusoglu said it was “unacceptable” for the US to insist Turkey could not
buy a defence system from another country but would not sell any to Ankara
either.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1532 hrs