Türkiye awaits United States move to lift CAATSA sanctions

Türkiye’s Defence Ministry said it expects the United States to lift CAATSA sanctions and remove all other restrictions affecting the country’s defence industry.

“As a strong and effective NATO ally, Türkiye continues to make significant contributions to the alliance’s deterrence capabilities and collective security. We expect the removal of CAATSA sanctions, which are incompatible with the spirit of the alliance, as well as all explicit and implicit restrictions imposed on our defence industry,” ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk said during a briefing in Ankara.

The ministry welcomed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump regarding the possibility of lifting the sanctions.

“We support an approach that strengthens mutual trust and solidarity among allies rather than imposing restrictions,” the spokesperson added.

During the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump announced that the United States would remove CAATSA sanctions that have limited defence cooperation with Türkiye and constrained parts of the Turkish defence sector.

CAATSA, the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, is a US law enacted in 2017 to impose sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Washington has also used the legislation to penalise other countries, including Türkiye, for acquiring Russian-made weapons systems.

By Jeyhun Aghazada