Turkey threatens to retaliate if the US imposes sanctions on it

(December 12, 2019)The US is planning to proceed with sanctions against Turkey because it acquired the S-400 defense system from Russia. Turkey has warned the US if the US imposes sanctions it would retaliate,

Turkey discusses retaliation

As sanctions appear more likely, Mevlut Cavusoglu the Turkish First Minister said on Wednesday that ejecting the US from two crucial airbases in Turkey was under discussion. As a recent article reports: "“If the United States takes any negative actions towards us, we will also take reciprocal steps,” Mevlut Cavusoglu, the minister, said when asked about possible U.S. sanctions in an interview broadcast on Turkish TV."

The two bases

The US has bases at Kurecik and Incirlik in Turkey. Incerlik is seen as particular important as it is much used in the Syrian war. It is also believed to harbor a number of nuclear weapons. As Turkish and US relations have worsened both with the defense purchase from Russia and Turkey's forming a safe zone on the Syrian border by occupying territory up to a 30 km depth into Syria forcing US to leave Incirlik has been raised as a possibility several times. Nevertheless the US Congress has still been pushing for sanctions against Turkey

Anadolu news agency quoted Cavusoglu as saying: "In the event of a decision to sanction Turkey, the Incirlik and Kurecik airbases can be brought to the agenda. Congress members must understand that it is not possible to get anywhere with sanctions."

Sanctions bill passes Senate committee

The bill will now be voted on by the full Republican-controlled Senate: "A U.S. Senate committee backed legislation on Wednesday to impose sanctions on Turkey after its offensive in Syria and purchase of a Russian S-400 missile system, the latest move in the chamber to push Republican President Donald Trump to take a harder line against Ankara. The Republican-led Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted by 18-4 to send the “Promoting American National Security and Preventing the Resurgence of ISIS Act of 2019” for a vote in the full Senate."

While the Republican chair of the committee said that the Senate should come together to change Turkey's behavior, another Republican Rand Paul opposed the bill saying it would make negotiations with Turkey more difficult.

Previously published in the Digital Journal