Erdoğan criticizes U.S. stance on S-400 deal between Turkey and Russia

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday Turkey was continuing to make payments under its deal with Russia to buy S-400 missile defence systems and the United States had not presented the same terms when it offered to sell Patriot missiles.

"The S-400 holds an important place in our talks. The United States' arguments are very wrong. We finished the S-400 process and our payments continue," Erdoğan told reporters in Istanbul when asked about his planned talks in Moscow next week.

Erdoğan also touched on the issue of the deal to buy U.S. F-35 aircraft, whose delivery has turned controversial due to Washington's pressure against Turkey's purchase of S-400s from Russia.

"Two of them [F-35s] were delivered to us, they are in the U.S. now [for training]. They have delivered the third one, and the fourth will be delivered shortly, I've been saying that for weeks. They will deliver the fourth one as well," he said.

Erdoğan cited NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's recent comments calling S-400 procurement a "national decision."

He added that Stoltenberg has also said the transatlantic alliance cannot decide what defense systems and equipment member states buy.

ERDOĞAN DEFENDS DEMANDING VOTE RECOUNT
Turkey's president says his party's demands for vote recounts to challenge the unofficial results of Sunday's municipal elections are only natural.

Speaking after Friday prayers in Istanbul, President Erdoğan said the elections were over but the legal process was ongoing with his party's objections to the vote counts.

"If the results of the provincial [electoral councils] don't overlap with ours, then the Supreme Electoral Council is the final decision-maker for us," Erdoğan said in statement.

"It is our right to apply to it," he added, referring to the ruling Justice and Development (AK) seeking recounts in major cities like Istanbul and Ankara.

The People's Alliance in the March 31 elections, made up of the AK Party and Nationalist Movement (MHP), got 53.3% of the vote and won 25 of Istanbul's 39 district municipalities, said Erdoğan.

Erdoğan said the AK Party was victorious in 15 of Turkey's 30 metropolitan municipalities.

Furthermore, he pointed out that AK Party won 511 of 911 districts in Turkey while the MHP won 135, meaning 70% of the district municipalities were won by the People's Alliance.

Erdoğan also criticized Ekrem Imamoğlu, main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Istanbul mayoral candidate, for visiting Atatürk's mausoleum Anıtkabir in the capital Ankara while the election results are still unclear.

He then accused the U.S. and Europe of being two-faced and attempting to interfere with Turkey by weighing in on the process since the elections.

"You have repeatedly raised such objections in your countries," he said, adding that both the U.S. and Europe have seen multiple cases of candidates and parties objecting to poll results.

"Now they're trying to interfere with Turkey's internal affairs. But they should know that Turkey is no ordinary country. With voter turnout of 82-83%, Turkey gave a lesson in democracy to the whole world," he asserted.