State Department announces sanctions against Turkish defense agency, four officials
The US Department of State has imposed sanctions against a Turkish defense agency and four of its officials in response to Ankara’s refusal to abandon acquisition of the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system, according to an announcement on Monday.
The sanctions, which will be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, are being brought against the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), a government agency tasked with managing military technology and Turkey’s defense industry.
Sanctions will also be imposed on SSB President Ismail Demir, Vice President Faruk Yigit, Department of Air Defense and Space chief Serhat Gencoglu and on Mustafa Alper Deniz, program manager for its Regional Air Defense Systems Directorate.
According to the announcement, the SSB “has knowingly engaged in a significant transaction with a person that is part of, or operates for or on behalf of, the defense or intelligence sectors of the Government of the Russian Federation.”
In a pervious statement earlier this year, the State Department said that “Russian S-400s are incompatible with NATO equipment, threaten the security of NATO technology, and are inconsistent with Turkey’s commitments as a NATO Ally. This significant transaction from Russia triggered CAATSA [Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act] sanctions under US legislation.”
