President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Ankara's decision to purchase Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems should not damage Turkey's relations with the U.S.
"For us, the S-400 issue should definitely not damage American and Turkish ties," Erdoğan said in an interview with Fox News, adding that the procurement of the S-400s is a matter of Turkey's national security.
He also noted other NATO countries such as Bulgaria, Greece and Slovakia also use Russian defense systems.
Stressing that relations between Turkey and the U.S. go a long way back and that they’re built upon very strong bonds, "Our eventual goal is to expand economic relations between the United States and Turkey and boost the trade volume between the two countries to $100 billion," he said.
In July, the U.S. suspended Turkey’s partication in the F-35 fighter jet program, saying its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense program could endanger the aircraft, a claim Turkey has consistently denied.
At a bilateral meeting in June in Osaka with Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump said Turkey had been treated unfairly over its decision to buy the S-400s and blamed the "mess" on the administration of former President Barack Obama.
