American “slap” in Turkey: No risk of sanctions for the S-300 in Crete

There is no risk of sanctions for the S-300 anti-missile system located in Crete, the State Department clarifies. Responding to a related question from the Hellas Journal website, a representative of the US Department of State explained that the presence of the system in question in Greece does not fall under the sanctions provided for by the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

“The acquisition of S-300s by Greece took place in the 1990s, decades before the adoption of the CAATSA law. Section 231 of CAATSA only sanctions significant transactions that occurred on or after August 2, 2017. We continue to encourage all NATO allies to ensure full interoperability within the alliance,” the State Department spokesman noted.

It is recalled that the S-300 anti-missile system was purchased by the Republic of Cyprus and not by Greece. However, this particular purchase had provoked Turkey’s strong reaction, resulting in an American mediation conducted under Richard Holbrooke. The result of these talks was to install the S-300 system in Crete with the consent of all parties involved.

Distances from Turkish claims of F-16 targeting

In addition, the representative of the State Department kept his distance for the second time in a row from the Turkish claims that Greece has targeted Turkish F-16 fighters with the S-300 system, as he limited himself to repeating the fixed American position that calls for a diplomatic settlement of the differences.

“We are aware of these reports. We continue to encourage our NATO allies, Greece and Turkey, to work together to maintain peace and security in the region and resolve disputes through diplomacy. We call on all parties to refrain from rhetoric and actions that could further escalate tension,” he said.

RES-EMP

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