US REPRESENTATIVE FOR SYRIA

James Jeffrey: US Willing to Give Turkey Ammunition for Idlib

Visiting a refugee camp in Hatay province, US Representative for Syria James Jeffrey has referred to a possible US provision of Patriot missile systems to Turkey. “We are not working on a specific military program”, Jeffrey has said.

İstanbul

James Jeffrey: US Willing to Give Turkey Ammunition for Idlib

* Photo: Cem Genco - Hatay / AA

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United States (US) Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey and US Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield visited a refugee camp in Turkey's east Mediterranean province of Hatay yesterday (March 3).

Addressing the reporters there, Jeffrey was asked how the US could help Turkey within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Jeffrey answered, "Turkey is a NATO ally. We have a very, very big foreign military sales program, much of the Turkish military uses American equipment. We will make sure that the equipment is ready.

"As a NATO partner, we share information intelligence and we are going to ensure that they have what they need there."

Jeffrey also indicated that "the US supported Turkey's requests on different levels within the NATO."

Patriot air defense missile system

Referring to a possible US provision of Patriot air defense missile systems to Turkey, he said that "they were not working on a specific military program."

US Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield also said that "Washington was examining Turkey's request for air defenses."

Çavuşoğlu said 'We want air defense system'

Following a meeting with his UK counterpart Dominic Raab yesterday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated the following about their request for air defense systems:

"Turkey put forward its expectations from the NATO and its allies quite clearly. One of these expectations is an air defense system. Turkey can be faced with different threats at any time. Therefore, we are in an indispensable need of an air defense system."

'We are willing to give ammunition to Turkey'

Addressing the reporters following their visit, Jeffrey also indicated that the US was willing to provide ammunition alongside assistance to Turkey in Idlib.

"We are willing to provide - for example the President [Donald Trump] mentioned this - ammunition," Jeffrey said, adding that Turkey also "very much stressed" the need for humanitarian assistance.

Jeffrey also indicated that the US was "in close consultation with the Turks and they were seeing what kind of diplomatic positions they would be taking when President Erdoğan went to Moscow to see President Putin."

Underlining that "what they were focusing right now was aid packages and diplomatic support for Turkey, about the Russians as well", Jeffrey said that "he talked to the Russian authorities yesterday and stressed that Turkey wanted a real ceasefire, not a fake one." (EKN/SD)