Eurasia Press & News
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, by invitation of US Secretary of State John Kerry, is expected to pay an official visit to Washington on Nov. 18 for talks on bilateral relations and regional developments.
Turkey announced on Sept. 26 that it had chosen the FD-2000 missile-defense system from China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMIEC) over rival systems from Russian, US and European firms. However, the Chinese firm is under US sanctions for violations of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act Sanctions (INKSNA).
Washington recently expressed its concerns to Turkey, an ally and NATO member, about its decision to opt for the Chinese system. China dismissed the West’s concerns, saying in early October that the US and others were needlessly politicizing a purely commercial deal. According to a report published in the Yeni Şafak daily on Sunday, Ankara sent a formal letter to the main competitors informing them that they can renew their bids before the end of the January.
The main competitors for the tender were the Patriot long-range air-defense system, produced by US partners Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Russia’s Rosoboronexport with its S-400 system, China’s HQ9, exported as the FD-2000, and the French-Italian Eurosam with the SAMP/T Aster 30.
