CUFI welcomes US sanctions against Turkey

On Monday, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) welcomed the Trump administration’s imposition of sanctions against Turkey in response to that nation’s acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile system.

“Turkey is a malign force in the region. Their leader is a tyrant who supports terrorists. The US should continue to ratchet up pressure against Ankara until they fundamentally change their approach to the US and our allies,” said CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee.

CUFI has long supported sanctioning Turkey and strongly backed the decision to remove that nation from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. In late October, thousands of CUFI members in America contacted the White House calling for the President to “issue sanctions against Turkey as enabled by [the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act] without delay.”

“As evidenced by the Turkey sanctions mandate included in the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act, there is strong bipartisan support for taking such measures against Ankara. It is critical that the US continues to strengthen its alliances with like-minded nations in the Eastern Mediterranean while at the same time harden our policy towards Ankara until they change course,” said CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Parker.

In October, Washington issued a warning to Ankara after Turkish military forces ran a drill testing the Russian missile defense system, saying the strategic partnership with its NATO ally is at risk of being “seriously” affected.

“The US Department of Defense condemns in the strongest terms Turkey’s October 16 test of the S-400 air defense system, a test confirmed today” by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, read a statement released by the office.

“Our position has always been clear and it has not changed: an operational S-400 system is not compatible with the commitments made by Turkey as an ally of the United States and NATO.”

“We are opposed to Turkey testing this system, it could have serious consequences for our defense relations,” the statement added.

It is good to see the US follow through with its commitments.