Erdoğan: It Will Be Called Seizure If U.S. Doesn’t Deliver F-35s to Turkey

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President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated that if the U.S. does not deliver the F-35 fighter jets to Turkey although the country has made the necessary payments, the behavior of the U.S. will be called "seizure."

Completing his official visits in China, Erdoğan answered the questions of journalists in Turkey's Embassy in Peking yesterday (July 3).

Referring to the tension between the U.S. and Turkey over the imminent delivery of the S-400 defense missile system from Russia, Erdoğan stated, "If a customer makes the payments regularly, how can you not give this customer the goods? It will be called seizure."

'We paid 1 billion 400 million dollars'

Indicating that Turkey has paid 1 billion 400 million dollars for the F-35s so far and the agreement with the U.S. foresees the purchase of 116 F-35s from the country, Erdoğan also reminded that soldiers and pilots received training in company with a general as part of the program.

Reminding that Turkey is not only a market, but also a manufacturer, Erdoğan also spoke about his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan last week. "The remarks made by Trump for my friends in our meeting that day, his attitude towards them are praiseworthy", Erdoğan stated regarding the meeting of two delegations.

CLICK - Erdoğan: We Heard No Such Thing as Sanctions

Making a statement in the wake of G20 Summit in Japan, President Erdoğan indicated that U.S. President Trump expressed his support for Turkey in terms of both  S-400s and F-35s and added, "We have heard no such thing as sanctions from Trump up until now."

In the event that the S-400 defense missile system is delivered to Turkey by Russia, the U.S. is planning to impose sanction on Turkey and exclude the country from its F-35 program. The statements made by the U.S. in the wake of Erdoğan-Trump meeting also emphasized that possible sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of S-400s are still on the table. (AÖ/SD)