This came as a comment to a statement by Unal Cevikoz, an adviser to the head of the opposition Republican People's Party. Cevikoz claimed that the Turkish government was not deploying the S-400 out of fear of US' sanctions. He also said this would be on the agenda of the opposition if it rises to power.
"Cevikoz gives a free hand to the US leadership to cancel the purchase of S-400, which we bought to protect Turkey's security. The security of our country and the protection of our motherland are not subject to bargaining. Political bargaining on the matter is unacceptable," Celik wrote on Twitter.
Late last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blasted US authorities for their alleged failure to realise “who it is dealing with,” and urged America to get it over with and to slap Ankara with whatever S-400-related sanctions it could have in store.
The US, along with its NATO allies, has repeatedly complained about the potential technical problems posed by the Russian S-400 to alliance warplanes. Most recently, Washington warned that there would be “serious consequences” for the “security relationship” between the US and Turkey if Ankara persisted in its S-400 testing activities.
