Turkey's F-35s to make it significant NATO foothold in Black, Mediterranean seas — expert

Turkey's F-35s to make it significant NATO foothold in Black, Mediterranean seas — expert According to Alexander Stepanov, Ankara is aspiring to a significant role in NATO and has one of the most combat-ready and largest armies among the alliance membersMOSCOW, July 8. /TASS/. The transfer of American F-35 fighter jets to Turkey will contribute to the republic's transformation into a significant NATO foothold in the Black and Mediterranean seas, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told TASS. According to the expert, Ankara is aspiring to a significant role in NATO and has one of the most combat-ready and largest armies among the alliance members. "The geopolitical aspects of Turkey's NATO membership presuppose both the ability to control important maritime navigation routes and the ability to project military influence into the Middle East. It's highly likely that at least five F-35 fighter jets, currently under negotiation, will be transferred to Ankara. Turkey will become a very significant bridgehead for the alliance, including in the context of escalation scenarios involving a possible multinational operation in the Black and Mediterranean Seas," he said. Stepanov added that Turkey is becoming a major regional player and will likely continue to receive modern American military equipment. "Turkey is becoming a very serious regional player, and the United States, through its military-industrial lobby, intends to continue re-equipping the Turkish armed forces, including its air force component," he concluded. In 2017, Turkey purchased four divisions of the S-400 air defense systems from Russia for $2.5 billion. In October 2019, Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) announced that the contract for the systems had been fulfilled. Following the signing of the contract between Turkey and Russia for the supply of a regimental set of S-400 systems, Ankara was excluded from the US program to develop the next-generation F-35 fighter jet. On July 7, during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump stated that he did not consider Turkey's possession of Russian S-400 air defense systems an obstacle to the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to the republic. The American leader emphasized that he had no concerns regarding Turkey, adding that relations between Washington and Ankara were at a very high level. 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