Blinken expresses concern to Çavuşoğlu over Turkey's İstanbul Convention exit, S-400s

Photo: Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu / Twitter

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels today (March 24).

After brief talks, Cavusoglu said that he and his US counterpart plan to hold a more comprehensive meeting.

"We agreed with the US secretary of state to hold a broader meeting in either the US or Turkey," Cavusoglu told reporters in Brussels after the meeting, which he said lasted less than an hour.

Blinken "expressed concern over Turkey's withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, and emphasized the importance of democratic institutions and respect for human rights," according to a press release by the Department of State.

S-400s

On Turkey's procurement of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia, Cavusoglu reiterated that Turkey has already purchased the system and the deal was concluded.

He ruled out reversing the decision but repeated Turkey's offer to set up a commission with the US to clarify any technical issues.

Blinken, on the other hand, urged Turkey not to retain the system, according to the US Department of State

Çavuşoğlu and his counterpart also talked about the situations in Syria Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, according to statements by both sides.

The US has opposed Turkey's purchase of the missile system, citing concerns that it may pose a threat to NATO weapon systems.

Ankara and Moscow signed the agreement for the purchase of the S-400s after the failed coup in 2016. The first batch of the missiles was delivered to Turkey in July 2019.

In response, the US officially removed Turkey from the F-35 joint strike fighter program in July 2019 and sanctioned its arms purchasing agency in December.

Turkey has not activated the system but tested it in October 2020. (VK)