Latest news with #CounteringAmerica'sAdversariesThroughSanctionsAct
India.com
18-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
Trump makes shocking move, supports pro Pakistan Turkey, president Erdogan claims ‘Friend Trump' will lift CAATSA sanctions, S-400 and F-35…, reveals…
(File) New Delhi: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a significant revelation regarding American President Donald Trump. He stated that he believes that due to President Trump's 'more open, more creative' approach, the U.S. Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions on Turkey's defense sector will soon be 'lifted.' When asked by journalists about the recent U.S. approval for potential missile sales to Turkey during a flight returning from Albania, Erdogan said he can 'easily say that there is an easing in CAATSA,' referring to the 'Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Erdogan referred to Trump as a friend as he mentioned that he has discussed this matter with Trump and the new U.S. ambassador to Ankara. According to transcripts of the comments made during the flight, he said, 'With my friend Trump's assumption of office, we reached a stage of more open, more creative, and more honest communication.' The USA imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkey in 2020 as a punishment for purchasing the S-400 missile defense system from Russia, despite being a NATO member. However, Turkey has never used the S-400 missile system, and it remains inactive to this day. The U.S. also removed Turkey from the F-35 programme due to the purchase of the S-400. What is the CAATSA sanction? The full form of CAATSA is Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The U.S. created it as a punitive measure against its adversaries. This law was first enacted on August 2, 2017, and was implemented in January 2018. The purpose of this law is to confront the aggression of America's adversary countries, mainly Iran, Russia, and North Korea.
Business Recorder
17-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Erdogan says US CAATSA sanctions on Turkiye defence sector easing under Trump
ISTANBUL: President Tayyip Erdogan said he believed the United States' 'CAATSA' sanctions on the Turkish defence sector would soon be 'overcome' thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump's 'more open, more constructive' approach. Asked by journalists on a return flight from Albania about the recent U.S. approval of the potential sale of missiles to Turkiye, Erdogan said he could 'easily say there is an easing on CAATSA', referring to the 'Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act'. Erdogan said he had discussed the matter with Trump and Washington's new ambassador to Ankara. 'With my friend Trump taking office, we reached a more open, more constructive, more sincere communication,' he added, according to a transcript of the comments he made on the flight.
Straits Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Erdogan says U.S. CAATSA sanctions on Turkey defence sector easing under Trump
FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with U.S. President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in London, Britain, December 4, 2019. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Erdogan says U.S. CAATSA sanctions on Turkey defence sector easing under Trump ISTANBUL - President Tayyip Erdogan said he believed the United States' 'CAATSA' sanctions on the Turkish defence sector would soon be "overcome" thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump's "more open, more constructive" approach. Asked by journalists on a return flight from Albania about the recent U.S. approval of the potential sale of missiles to Turkey, Erdogan said he could "easily say there is an easing on CAATSA", referring to the 'Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act'. Erdogan said he had discussed the matter with Trump and Washington's new ambassador to Ankara. "With my friend Trump taking office, we reached a more open, more constructive, more sincere communication," he added, according to a transcript of the comments he made on the flight. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Arab News
26-03-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Turkiye, US want to lift defense industry restrictions after talks, Turkish source says
ANKARA/WASHINGTON: Turkiye and the United States want to remove obstacles to defense industry cooperation, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said on Wednesday, after talks between the NATO allies' top diplomats in Washington. On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan kicked off a two-day visit to Washington, where he was expected to ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other US officials to remove US sanctions on Turkiye and allow it back into a crucial fighter jet program. The visit comes as Ankara seeks warmer ties with Washington under the administration of President Donald Trump and just days after a phone call between Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that a top Trump aide described as 'transformational.' The top Turkish diplomat's visit also comes at a critical time for Erdogan, after his main political rival and Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was jailed pending trial on Sunday, prompting the largest anti-government protests in over a decade. • Turkish foreign minister meets Rubio in Washington • Turkey wants back into F-35 program, lifting of CAATSA sanctions • Trump and Turkey's Erdogan had 'transformational' phone call Ties between the US and Turkiye have drifted away from a strategic partnership in recent years as disagreements between the two long-standing treaty allies have widened. The administration of former President Joe Biden kept Turkiye at arm's length over what it saw as the fellow NATO member's close ties with Russia. Under Trump, who views Moscow much more favorably, Ankara is hoping for a warmer relationship with Washington. It also plans to capitalize on the personal ties between the two leaders. During the meeting between Fidan and Rubio on Tuesday, both sides 'clearly put forth their political will to lift obstacles to cooperation in the defense industry field,' the source said, adding they also followed up on matters discussed between Trump and Erdogan. 'Technical talks will be held for the resolution of existing problems,' the person added, without elaborating. During his first term, Trump initially ignored advice from his aides to impose sanctions on Turkiye under its Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) over Ankara's acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems in 2019. He then took the step in 2020. That acquisition also led to Turkiye's removal from the F-35 jet program, where it was a manufacturer and buyer. Ankara says its removal is unjust and illegal, and has demanded to rejoin or be reimbursed for its investment in the program. Conversations between the allies on how to resolve the S-400 deadlock were ongoing under Biden. Turkiye had pledged to keep the systems non-operational, a source familiar with the discussions said, but a breakthrough never came. A Turkish official, requesting anonymity, told Reuters ahead of Fidan's visit that Ankara was aiming to agree with Washington that keeping the S-400s non-operational can be enough to resolve the matter. RUSSIA IMPACT During the Biden era, the allies had settled into a new phase of relations, with a more transactional focus rather than based on shared values, as differences over policies on Syria, the war in Gaza, and judicial matters persisted. Since coming back into office on January 20, Trump upended Biden's policy to isolate Moscow and provide unwavering support to Kyiv and instead focused on ending Russia's war in Ukraine. His shift spooked European leaders who feared Washington could be turning its back to Europe and bolstered Ankara's role as a potential partner in reshaping European security. The Turkish official said discussions between Washington and Ankara had 'taken a new dimension' after Trump's shift in approach to Moscow. 'If US sanctions on Russia are to be lifted, it becomes illogical for CAATSA to be implemented on third countries. As much as this issue is about Turkiye-USA ties, it is also about Turkiye-Russia ties,' the official added. Sources familiar with the matter said the phone call between Erdogan and Trump may bring positive momentum to conversations in coming days, though no promises were made. 'The president had a great conversation with Erdogan a couple of days ago. Really transformational, I would describe it,' Trump's special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff said in an interview with right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson. Exclusion from the F-35 program pushed Turkiye to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin Block-70 F-16 fighter jets. However, despite agreeing on the procurement, there has been little progress on the acquisition for months. The Turkish source said Fidan and Rubio also discussed head of state-level visits to be held in the coming period, without elaborating. The two also emphasized the importance of stability in Syria and in the Balkans, while discussing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the source added.
Reuters
25-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Turkey seeking US sanctions relief, warmer ties in Washington visit
ANKARA/WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will ask U.S. officials in Washington this week to remove U.S. sanctions on Turkey and let the country back into a crucial fighter-jet program as Ankara seeks a warming of ties with Washington under the administration of President Donald Trump. Fidan is set to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, days after a phone call between Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that a top Trump aide described as "transformational". The top Turkish diplomat's visit also comes at a critical time for Erdogan, after his main political rival and Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was jailed pending trial on Sunday, prompting the largest anti-government protests in over a decade following a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition. Ties between the U.S. and Turkey have drifted away from a strategic partnership in recent years as disagreements between the two long-standing treaty allies have widened. The administration of former President Joe Biden kept Turkey at arm's length over what it saw as the fellow NATO member's close ties with Russia. Under Trump, who views Moscow much more favorably, Ankara is hoping for a warmer relationship with Washington. It also plans to capitalize on the personal ties between the two leaders. During his meetings the top Turkish diplomat will "emphasise the importance of discussing beginning work to lift CAATSA sanctions and a process of Turkey's return to the F-35 program," a Turkish diplomatic source speaking on the condition of anonymity said. Trump had initially ignored advice from his aides that he impose sanctions on Turkey under its Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) over Ankara's acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence missile systems in 2019. He then took the step in 2020. That acquisition also led to Turkey's removal from the F-35 jet program, where it was a manufacturer and buyer. Ankara says its removal is unjust and illegal, and has demanded to rejoin or be reimbursed for its investment in the program. Conversations between the allies on how to resolve the S-400 deadlock were ongoing under Biden. Turkey had pledged to keep the systems non-operational, a source familiar with the discussions said, but a breakthrough never came. RUSSIA IMPACT During the Biden era, the allies had settled into a new phase of relations, with a more transactional focus rather than based on shared values, as differences over policies on Syria, the war in Gaza, and judicial matters persisted. Since coming back into office on January 20, Trump upended Biden's policy to isolate Moscow and provide unwavering support to Kyiv and instead focused on ending Russia's war in Ukraine. His shift spooked European leaders who feared Washington could be turning its back to Europe and bolstered Ankara's role as a potential partner in reshaping European security. A Turkish official, requesting anonymity, told Reuters that discussions between Washington and Ankara had "taken a new dimension" after Trump's shift in approach to Moscow. "If U.S. sanctions on Russia are to be lifted, it becomes illogical for CAATSA to be implemented on third countries. As much as this issue is about Turkey-USA ties, it is also about Turkey-Russia ties," the official added. Sources familiar with the matter said the phone call between Erdogan and Trump may bring positive momentum to conversations in coming days, though no promises were made. "The president had a great conversation with Erdogan a couple of days ago. Really transformational, I would describe it," Trump's special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff said in an interview with right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson. Exclusion from the F-35 program pushed Turkey to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab Block-70 F-16 fighter jets. However, despite agreeing on the procurement, there has been little progress on the acquisition for months. The Turkish source said Fidan would also discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, latest developments in Syria, and the situation in Gaza during his visit.
