Turkey may not get the American F-16
2023.01.14 02:31
Turkey may not get the American F-16
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – According to sources familiar with the situation, the Biden administration has informed Congress that it is preparing to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey for $20 billion. This has prompted an immediate objection from a senior U.S. lawmaker who has long opposed the deal.
According to three sources, the State Department informed the Senate and House arms sales committees of its intention to proceed with the proposed deal when it sent the informal notice to Congress on Thursday.
Turkey, a member of NATO, requested the purchase of 40 Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:) in October 2021. F-16 fighters and nearly 80 kits for modernizing its current warplanes. The two sides recently concluded their technical talks.
The Biden administration has stated that it is in favor of the sale and has been in informal contact with Congress for several months in an effort to obtain its approval. However, it has not yet received permission.
“As I have repeatedly made clear, I strongly oppose the proposed sale of new F-16 aircraft to Turkey by the Biden administration,” said Senator Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
As long as Turkey continues to refuse to ratify Sweden’s and Finland’s membership in NATO, Congress is unlikely to approve the sale while it is still in the informal review process.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in May, the two nations ended decades of neutrality and applied to join NATO. However, Turkey objected and demanded that action be taken, accusing the two nations of harboring militants, including members of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The notification, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes at a time when Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is getting ready to visit Washington on Wednesday for talks. The two NATO allies are having a lot of disagreements, including about buying weapons and Syria.
The administration can technically proceed with a formal notification after the informal review, during which committee leaders can ask questions or voice concerns about the sale. But a high-ranking American official said that the administration wouldn’t be able to move forward unless Menendez dropped his objection.
Menendez stated in his statement that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was engaging in “alarming and destabilizing behavior in Turkey and against neighboring NATO allies,” in addition to disobeying democratic norms and human rights.
“Until Erdogan stops his alarming statements… what’s more, starts to carry on like a believed partner ought to, I won’t endorse this deal.”
“Strengthens our two nations’ abilities to defend shared principles including our collective defense, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” Menendez said, referring to Athens as a “trusted NATO ally” in his remarks. Menendez also said he was pleased to hear that a new F-35 fighter aircraft would be purchased for Greece.
Turkey’s purchase of Russian air defense systems in 2019 angered the U.S. Congress and forced Ankara out of the next-generation F-35 program. Sentiment in Congress is also influenced by disagreements with Washington regarding Syria policy and Turkey’s deteriorating human rights and freedom of expression record.
A spokesperson for the State Department stated that the department does not confirm or comment on proposed arms sales or transfers until the administration has formally requested approval from Congress. The spokesperson did not provide further details.
After receiving formal notification of a sale, Congress is required by U.S. law to pass a resolution of disapproval. However, Congress is unlikely to do so if President Joe Biden decides to proceed despite lawmakers’ objections. Although such resolutions have been passed by Congress in the past, it has never achieved the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto in either chamber.
