U.S., Turkey remain in dialogue over S-400, F-35 dispute - top NATO general

U.S., Turkey remain in dialogue over S-400, F-35 dispute - top NATO general
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan welcomes Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo Copyright Yuri Gripas(Reuters)
By Reuters
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LE BOURGET, Paris (Reuters) - U.S. Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar remain in contact about Ankara's plans to buy a Russian air defence system, and may meet during NATO meetings in Brussels next week, NATO's commander told Reuters.

U.S. General Tod Wolters said the military-to-military relationship between the United States and NATO remained "absolutely, positively solid," despite Washington's decision to cancel Turkey's purchase of F-35 stealth fighters if it proceeds with its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system.

"We won’t co-locate those two assets, the S-400 and the F-35," Wolters said at the Paris Airshow. "I know there'll be follow on dialogue to work on ... details between Minister Akar and Secretary Shanahan. As a matter of fact there may the opportunity to meet next week at the ministerials in NATO."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Mark Potter)

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