
NEW YORK/ISTANBUL -- Deep in the Anatolian heartland, a four-engine Airbus A400M strategic airlifter adorned the spanking new hangar. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on a video link that Turkey would continue to increase defense investment "until we completely free our country from foreign dependence."
When the opening ceremony for this new maintenance and repair facility in the city of Kayseri was held last week, Erdogan was in no mood to celebrate Turkey's membership in the world's strongest military alliance.