Turkey’s president responds to the threat of u.s. sanctions for the purchase of weapons in Russia.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has on Sunday evening threatened to close the two strategically important military bases in Turkey, used by the UNITED states.
It happens, after u.s. politicians have threatened sanctions against the Turkish Nato ally, in order to have purchased an advanced Russian weapon system.
the Threat on the bases and puts Erdogan in an interview to the tv channel Haber.
If necessary, then we can close the Incirlik, and we can close the Kurecik, he says.
The two bases, located in the southwest of Turkey, near the border with Syria. The u.s. air force has largely used Incirlik for attacks on Islamic State in Syria. The base in Kurecik is home to a large Nato radar.
It is not the first time that Erdogan threatens to block the two bases for the UNITED states. It has happened at times when there have been tensions between the two countries.
The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlüt Cavusoglu, spoke last week about the two bases. It happened as a response to AMERICA’s threats of sanctions.
the Closure of the bases for the UNITED states can “get on the table,” he warned.
the Threat of sanctions because Turkey has decided to buy the advanced Russian luftværnssystem the S-400. This is despite warnings from the UNITED states and other Nato allies.
on Friday summoned the Turkish government, the u.s. ambassador after the UNITED states senate followed the Representatives in the House. The two chambers of Congress supported by a large majority, to the mass killings of armenians in Turkey in 1915 recognized as a genocide.
Armenia considers that 1,5 million armenians in Turkey were killed by the Turkish regime. Among other things during the dødsmarcher to Syria.
Turkey maintains that far fewer armenians died, and that many turks lost their lives. It overall was due to the First world War.
/ritzau/AFP
