The US government has reportedly notified Turkey of its exclusion from the new F-35 memorandum of understanding (MOU) after its acquisition of the Russian anti-aircraft weapons system, the S-400.
The official Turkish news agency, Anadolu, reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon had informed the Turkish government of its removal from the new agreement reached between the eight countries in the F-35 consortium, which effectively replaces the 2006 MOU that had included Ankara.
The signatories to the new deal are the US, Australia, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Norway and Denmark.
A US Defence Department official did not comment on the new MOU, but confirmed the process of expelling Turkey from the F-35 consortium has been under way since July 2019.
"We continue to move forward with the process of formally removing Turkey from the F-35 partnership, as announced in July 2019," Pentagon spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell told The National.
Ms Maxwell said Turkey’s purchase and deployment of the S-400 system is to blame for triggering the process.
“Our position has not changed. The S-400 is incompatible with the F-35 and Turkey has been suspended from the programme,” she said.
Turkey joined the US F-35 consortium in 2002 and had planned to buy 100 of the fifth-generation fighters before buying the S-400 missile system from Russia.
Each F-35 costs about $90 million.
US officials have said they fear Russia could use the S-400 to acquire intelligence on the F-35 and Nato members' defence systems.
The S-400 acquisition was also deemed a breach of Congress's Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that passed overwhelmingly in 2017 and sanctions any significant transactions with Russia.
While Turkey has lost access to the F-35, it continues to manufacture parts for the programme that are then purchased by the US.
The manufacturing contract ends in 2022.
Aaron Stein, research director at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said the news on excluding Turkey from the latest MOU is not a surprise.
"It's nothing new for Turkey, rather a continuation of what has been happening since 2019," Mr Stein, an expert and author on Turkish politics, told The National.
“What it shows is solidarity across to the F-35 programme, that all the multinational partners have basically put in writing that they are pushing forward without Ankara.”
Despite a recent increase in co-operation between the US and Turkey on Afghanistan, and a meeting between their top diplomats in Brussels, US President Joe Biden has still not called his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish president is expected to attend the US-hosted virtual climate summit on Thursday.
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
