Newspaper: Russian- Turkish crisis looming

NEWS DESK

Turkey, NATO's member has been criticized by its partners in NATO for planning to buy Russian S-400 missile defense systems which could endanger Ankara's purchase of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Patriot and the S-400 are competing systems, the newspaper said, adding that Washington has strongly opposed the acquisition of a member of NATO of Russian-made systems that aim at targeting US-made military weapons.

Nicholas Danforth, the senior of policies' analysts at the National Security Project of the Democratic Party's Center for Politics told Arab News, "The real achievement will be achieved only if Turkey gave up its plans to buy the S-400 in order to proceed with the sale of Patriot."

The director of Ankara Office of the German Marshall Fund, Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı, told the Arab News that he believes that the decision of the US State Department to suspend the offer Patriot is to force Turkey to abandon the purchase of S-400."

Saudi Arabia newspaper says the S-400 missile defense system aims at targeting the F-35, a new US fighter.

Arab News quoted from Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı saying, "Even if Turkey and the United States agree to a Patriot deal, the US Congress will announce its disapproval if Turkey first would not abandon the S-400 deal or the two sides agree on an innovative solution."

A.H

ANHA