Erdogan Stuns By Saying Turkey May Need Nuclear Weapons
This is a first: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday suggested Turkey should seek its own nuclear weapons in comments sure to gain Washington’s attention at a moment NATO’s most controversial member is busy deploying Russia’s S-400 anti-air defense system.
During a televised speech in which he ranted against rivals and moderates within his own Justice and Development Party (AKP) Erdogan said, “They say we can’t have nuclear tipped missiles though some have them. This, I can’t accept,” according to Turkey’s Ahval news.
“I don’t accept this,” he said. “The US and Russia have them. Every developing nation has them.”
He pointed out that Turkey had in the past been unfairly denied weapons deals by allied nations, which led to Turkish ingenuity in producing its own weaponry.