Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan affirms that Ankara and Washington share a mutual commitment to dismantling defense industry sanctions and are actively pursuing Türkiye’s reinstatement into the F-35 fighter jet program.
In a televised interview with CNN Türk on July 2, Fidan confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the NATO leaders summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8, informing that one of the issues to be discussed will be lifting the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against Türkiye.
“This is actually important and positive news for the NATO community in itself. We are taking the necessary steps in this regard. Because both our President and Mr. Trump have a strong will to remove it. We have also instructed our ministers to resolve this issue. Our Defense Minister and I are working intensively on this matter,” Fidan said.
Lifting the sanctions requires a special process at the U.S. Congress, Fidan said, while emphasizing that the Trump administration has already voiced its intention to remove the sanctions.
He also answered to a question on Türkiye’s potential return to the F-35 joint fighter program from which it was ousted due to its decision to purchase and deploy S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
“Returning to the program as one of the manufacturing partners is another issue. For me, lifting the restrictions on the sale [of the F-35s] is an easier issue. That will be an administrative decision and can occur after the removal of the CAATSA,” he suggested.
However, returning to the F-35 program requires a new decision by the manufacturing consortium, Fidan said, informing that they want to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on that matter. The U.S. has not delivered six F-35 jets to Türkiye although the latter paid for them.
Fidan said Erdoğan will hold bilateral meetings with other leaders as well, including those of Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
“Many allies requested bilateral meetings with our president. There are so many issues on the table, and they want to advance them,” he said.
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Fidan reiterated that the allies are convening at a moment when the world is dominated by uncertainties, making the Ankara summit a historic event.
“Europe has never felt so threatened since World War II,” he said, emphasizing that NATO, as the most successful security alliance, is also passing through a turning point.
“I find it very valuable that Türkiye is undertaking such a crucial role for world peace and our own regional security at such a critical time. This will be a place where NATO 3.0 is defined and accepted.”
On Israel’s continued aggression in the region and beyond, Fidan said that Israel has become a burden not only for the region but the whole world.
