Erdogan Says Aims to Persuade US to Not Exclude Turkey from F-35 Fighter Deal
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said he hoped to persuade the United States to not exclude Turkey from participating in the F-35 fighter jet programme, ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump later this month.
Istanbul, Jun 12 (AFP) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said he hoped to persuade the United States to not exclude Turkey from participating in the F-35 fighter jet programme, ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump later this month.
Erdogan is to meet Trump on the margins of G20 summit in Japan on June 28-29. "But before there, we would like to discuss this issue (on the F-35 programme) by telephone and reverse it from the current situation back to where we started," Erdogan said in a televised speech.
Washington has given Turkey until the end of July to abandon its purchase of a major Russian missile defence system, which it considers incompatible with Ankara's participation in America's construction of its F-35 stealth fighters. (AFP)
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