Russia, Turkey to Expand Cooperation Despite Sanctions Threat: Lavrov

Speaking to reporters following talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Sochi, Lavrov said the two sides confirmed mutual focus on military industry cooperation.

“We also confirmed our mutual focus on the development of military industry cooperation. We appreciate, as President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly noted, the principled disposition of our Turkish colleagues to continue cooperation in this area, despite the continuing illegitimate pressure from Washington, which openly lobbies the interests of American manufacturers using illegitimate, non-market methods,” the top Russian diplomat was quoted as saying by Sputnik news agency.

On Monday, the US House of Representatives overrode President Trump’s veto of the 2021 NDAA, paving the way for sanctions against Ankara over its purchase of the S-400, a Russian-made air defense system.

Along with the subject of defense cooperation, Tuesday’s talks between Lavrov and Cavusoglu included discussions on the conflicts in Libya and the Karabakh dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which recently escalated into open warfare before a Moscow-brokered ceasefire backed by Russian peacekeepers stepped into force.

In the case of the Libya conflict, Lavrov said that Russia and Turkey had reiterated their commitment “continue to facilitate normalization of the situation in Libya in every possible way via a comprehensive intra-Libyan dialogue that includes all key political forces and representatives of all three historical regions of Libya.”

As for Karabakh, Lavrov said the two sides had reached a “common view” and a “unified position” on the need to prevent foreign mercenaries from entering the region.