US-Turkey tensions mount

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay warned the United States of the danger of breaking relations, due to disagreements between the two NATO allies that are increasing tensions.

The “United States must choose. Do they want to remain Turkey's ally or risk our friendship by joining forces with terrorists to undermine NATO's ally's defence against her enemies?” wrote Oktai on a Twitter Thursday.

Comment follows warning to Ankara by State Secretary Mike Pompeo that Turkey does not intervene militarily against YPG, a Kurdish militia in northern Syria. This group is a critical ally of the US in the fight against the Islamic terrorist group, but Ankara has named the YPG as a terrorist organisation linked to a uprising within Turkey.

“Secretary Pompeo voiced support for the current negotiations on northeast Syria, warning of potentially devastating consequences of unilateral Turkish military action in the region”, the State Department said in a statement, following Mr. Pompeo's meeting Wednesday with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Cavusoglu emphasised what he called the absence of a clear “strategy in Washington for Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who lost several key cities in local elections last Sunday, has declared security a priority, which has been interpreted by some as a signal for possible military invasion in Syria against YPG's. Turkish forces have massed to the Syrian border.

The threat of a clash for Syria comes to the climate of a growing dispute between Washington and Ankara over Turkish plans for the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system. US officials say the missiles would compromise NATO's weapons systems.

“Turkey must choose. Would she like to remain a critical partner in the most successful military alliance in history, or would she risk the security of this partnership by making such reckless decisions that undermine our alliance?

The system's “Blerance from Russia is finished,” said Mr. Cavusoglu in a discussion for NATO in Washington. “We are not choosing between Russia and other allies, we do not view our relations with Russia as an alternative to relations with others, and no one, neither the West nor Russia, should nor ask us to choose”, he added.

Washington is offering Turkey a Patriot missile system. Ankara has shown willingness to buy the system, but not as an alternative to Russia's S-400 system.

The dispute is part of the broader concerns between Turkey's Western allies over deepening Erdogan's relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Next week, President Erdogan will visit Moscow, where Mr. Putin is expected to further encourage Turkey to buy the S-400 system. Russia is determined to free the missiles in the second half of this year.

Washington has warned that the release of its modern F-35 aircraft to Turkey is at risk if Turkey buys the Russian system.

Analysts say further measures against Turkey are on the horizon, and that local currency, lira, could become the most important victim of any confrontation with the US.

Analysts also say the lira is in poor standing, following last year's fall caused by President Donald Trump, who struck Ankara with sanctions due to US pastor Andrew's arrest in Turkey Brunson, who was later released.