Turkish sanctions hailed by diaspora advocacy groups in US

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) issued separate statements on Monday hailing the Trump administration's announcement to impose sanctions on Turkey for its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system, which is in violation of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

"AHI welcomes the Trump administration's decision today to impose long overdue sanctions on Turkey to hold it accountable for its violation of CAATSA," said AHI President Nick Larigakis. "Today, the United States took a step in the right direction and sent a clear message to Turkey that Washington is shifting away from the previous failed policies of appeasement toward Turkey."

The sanctions include a ban on all US export licenses and loans to Turkey's defense procurement agency. They also freeze the...