Turkey makes case to Congress to drop S-400 sanctions

Turkey is making a final pitch to Congress to duck US sanctions for purchasing a Russian air defense system, according to documents reviewed by Al-Monitor.

In a letter sent to Congress last month, Serdar Kilic, the Turkish envoy to the United States, asked for a reprieve from US sanctions that target allies for buying Russian equipment. On Wednesday, the head of Russia’s state arms exporter said Turkey would receive its first missile defense battery in July.

“A basic tenet of diplomacy is to give enough chance to dialogue and consultations before resorting to unilateral measures,” Kilic wrote to the leaders of the powerful House and Senate appropriations panels — as well as the House Armed Services Committee — ahead of the debate over the annual must-pass defense bill. 

Turkey has a $1.5 million annual contract with the lobbying outfit Greenberg Traurig, which, along with two subcontractors, distributed the letters. Greenberg employs former Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., who served on the Armed Services Committee, and one-time Reps. Randy Forbes, R-Va., and Albert Wynn, D-Md., past members of the armed services and foreign affairs panels.