Turkey on Wednesday insisted that it will buy a missile system from Russia, striking a note of disunity as the NATO alliance opened a 70th birthday party in Washington.

Foreign ministers from the 29-member Western alliance are hoping to show a tough, united front on a resurgent Russia as they meet for two days in the US capital.

But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu declared in Washington that there was no turning back on buying Russia's S-400 missile defense system -- two days after the United States suspended the NATO ally's participation in the F-35 fighter-jet program.

"The S-400 deal is a done deal and we will not step back from this," he told a think-tank forum as part of the NATO festivities.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government has increasingly clashed with the West as it cracks down on dissent at home and threatens to strike US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria.

But Cavusoglu said Turkey still backed NATO on core concerns with Russia and would never recognize Moscow's 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine.

"We have been working with Russia," he said. "But it doesn't mean that we are undermining the alliance and we agree with Russia on everything. There is no shift on our foreign policy."

Cavusoglu said Turkey turned to Russia as it could not buy US Patriot missiles and quoted President Donald Trump as saying in an unspecified phone call that his predecessor Barack Obama had made a "mistake" not to sell the system to Ankara.

But Cavusoglu went on to criticize Trump on Syria. Asked if he understood US policy on the war-torn country, Cavusoglu replied bluntly: "No, and this is the problem."

He said he understood Trump would keep 200 troops in Syria, after the US leader in December pledged to pull all US forces out following a phone call with Erdogan.

"It is better that all the countries get out of Syria for the stability and territorial integrity of the country," Cavusoglu said.

- 'Good for Europe, good for US' -

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has also faced rising friction due to Trump, who has openly questioned the value of defending small members such as Montenegro and criticized allies, notably Germany, for not spending more on defense.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg appeared to soothe Trump during a White House meeting on Tuesday, crediting the US leader's tough rhetoric with pushing the Europeans and Canada to bolster their defense budgets by $100 billion between 2016 and 2020.

In an address to the US Congress on Wednesday, Stoltenberg enjoyed repeated standing ovations as he hailed the value of NATO.

"NATO has been good for Europe, but NATO has also been good for the United States," he said.

"The strength of a nation is not only measured by its economy or the number of its soldiers, but also by the number of its friends. And through NATO, the United States has more friends and allies than any other power."

Stoltenberg said the alliance needed to invest in greater capabilities including missile defense and surveillance drones as Russia increasingly shows its clout.

"We do not want a new arms race. We do not want a new Cold War. But we must not be naive," Stoltenberg said.

He said to brace for the end of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a signature Cold War accord, after the United States said it was exiting due to Russia missiles it says are in violation.

"We do not want to isolate Russia. We strive for better relationship with Russia," Stoltenberg said.

"But even with a better relationship, we still need to manage a difficult one."

Related Links
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Trump says he strengthened NATO by insisting on higher contributions
Washington (AFP) April 2, 2019
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has strengthened NATO by insisting on a "rocket" like increase in military spending by allies that he says used to take advantage of US largesse. "Tremendous progress has been made and NATO's much stronger," Trump told reporters at a White House meeting with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the alliance's 70th anniversary celebrations in Washington. "It's a rocket ship up," he said of the spending increase, which he said before his presidency had been o ... read more