Erdogan Outraged, Challenge the US to Impose Sanctions

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan challenged the United States to impose sanctions on his country. He made this statement during a televised ruling party congress in the eastern city of Malatya.

Erdogan said, referring to US warnings against getting directly involved in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh that Whatever your sanctions are, don't be too late.

He also touched on Washington's threat of sanctions after Turkey tested the Russian-made S-400 air defense system. The purchase saw Turkey excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter program. Ankara and Washington are at odds over the purchase of the S-400 missile air defense system from Russia.

The US removed Turkey from its F-35 purchase program after it took delivery of the first batch of S-400s from Russia in July last year.

He said, we paid the F-35, you threatened us. You said, 'Send the S-400 back to Russia. We are not a tribal country. We are Turkey.

The US has called the Russian-made air defense system incompatible with NATO and could pose a threat to Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35 jets. Uncle Sam's country has warned Turkey that it risks sanctions under the Against America's Enemies Act if the S-400 system is activated. But US President Donald Trump has held back the application of the sanctions amid hopes Erdogan will soften. Apart from challenging the US, Erdogan was on the same occasion again insulting Macron, who has continued to criticize Turkey's foreign policy in recent months.

Erdogan also directed his anger at Dutch anti-Islamic lawmaker Geert Wilders, who described him as a terrorist. He said Turkey had been targeted for exposing rising racism in Europe. Fascism is not in our book, it is in yours. Nazizme takes place in your country.