Turkey: threat of US sanctions averted?
US President Donald Trum has said he wants to find a solution in the row over Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defence system. The US had threatened Turkey with sanctions because it feared that the sale might lead to Russia getting its hands on Nato military data. Turkish commentators are at odds over what Trump's statement means for the country's struggling economy.
Horror scenario won't happen
Turkey can breathe a sigh of relief, Karar writes in delight:
“True, Trump hasn't said that the sanctions implemented under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) are a thing of the past, but he did say that Turkey was right. And his statements will be binding. The US president must impose sanctions in accordance with the country's regulations, but the mildest versions will be applied. That means the horror scenario will most likely be avoided. Trump will also presumably make use of the option allowing him to defer the sanctions that will apply immediately after the delivery of the S-400s. Such a stance will weaken the political impact of the sanctions.”
All still far too vague
Hürriyet Daily News, however, is not at all reassured by Trump's remarks:
“The Turkish-American dimension of the same story, however, is still full of uncertainties and vagueness, even after the much-anticipated meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump in Osaka over the weekend. ... Trump's answers to insistent questions on whether or not sanctions will be imposed on Turkey reflected his status as U.S. president. Although he stood with Erdoğan on the main reasons for this dispute and blamed the previous U.S. administration, he could not simply rule out sanctions.”