Turkey’s former defense minister Hulusi Akar said the dispute with Washington over Ankara’s Russian-made S-400 air defense system was nearing a resolution and that removing the issue would allow Turkey to return to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
Akar, who chairs the Turkish Parliament’s National Defense Committee, made the remarks after meetings with US lawmakers in Washington. He did not disclose the terms of a possible arrangement or give a timetable.
The Turkish delegation met with chairs and members of the House armed services, intelligence and foreign affairs committees as well as the head of the US delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, according to the Anadolu news agency.
Akar said US Representative Mike Turner described discussions about Turkey’s possible return to the F-35 program as “very promising” following contacts during the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara.
Asked about reports that Turkey could transfer the S-400 systems to the United Arab Emirates to address US objections, Akar rejected that account. “We did not say, and are not saying, that the S-400s are going to the UAE,” he said.
Akar said Turkish officials had told their US counterparts that an agreement had been reached to put the issue on a path toward resolution. He added that US officials had received information through their own channels that supported expectations of progress.
“The S-400 issue will be resolved one way or another,” Akar said. He argued that because the system was the stated reason for Turkey’s removal from the F-35 project, resolving the dispute should allow its participation to resume.
The United States removed Turkey from the multinational F-35 program in 2019 after Ankara took delivery of the S-400 system from Russia. Washington maintains that operating the Russian system within a NATO military could expose information about the F-35’s capabilities and compromise alliance technology. Turkey disputes that assessment and has proposed a technical commission.
The US imposed sanctions in 2020 on the Turkish Presidency of the Defense Industry (SSB) under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The measures included restrictions on US export licenses and financing for the agency.
Before its removal Turkey was an industrial partner in the F-35 project, with Turkish companies producing components for the aircraft. Ankara has argued that it should be restored as a partner rather than treated only as a prospective buyer.
Turkey’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday that work involving the S-400 systems was continuing “in multiple dimensions” and that the public would be informed when there were concrete developments.