'Positive outcome' anticipated ahead of F-16 jets purchase: Ankara

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Apr 2023 16:18

Turkey's Foreign Minister said that the Biden administration has to first convince the US Congress and get its approval to greenlight the deal.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu speaks during a news conference in Antalya, Turkey March 10, 2022. (Reuters)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that Ankara is expecting a "positive outcome concerning its bid to purchase F-16 fighter jets from the US, once US President Joe Biden solves the remaining obstacles that lay ahead of the sale.

"In fact, there is no such thing as complete blocking. We know that the [Biden] administration is making sincere efforts. They are determined to provide Turkey with F-16 or kits required to modernize the existing Turkish aircraft. There are those who are against it in the Congress, but we know, that the administration is making effort regarding those who are against. We also expect positive outcome," Cavusoglu said, as quoted by Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber.

The diplomat added that the Biden administration has to first convince the US Congress and get its approval to greenlight the deal, a deal he says can only be reached through dialogue with US lawmakers.

This comes right after reports published earlier today revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed US ambassador Jeffrey Flake for having met with opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Erdogan's main opponent in the upcoming elections.

"[US President] Joe Biden's ambassador visits Kemal. Shame on you, think with your head. You are an ambassador. Your interlocutor here is the president. How will you stand up after that and ask for a rendezvous with the president? Our doors are closed for him, he can no longer come in. Why? He needs to know his place," Erdogan said on Sunday, as quoted by the Turkish Star newspaper.

F-16 deal may be tied to Sweden, Finland NATO accession

Since October 2021, Turkey has been pushing the request to purchase F-16 fighter jets from the US due to its own fleet being outdated and the new security challenges that the country is currently facing - particularly with regard to Greece.

Due to the US' reluctance to boost Turkey's military autonomy, relations between Turkey and the US have severely deteriorated over recent months.

In February, US State Secretary Antony Blinken said that the US could not sell the fighter jets to Turkey because Congress has still not greenlighted the sale, citing Turkey's feud with Sweden and Finland over their NATO bids as well as territorial issues with Greece over the Aegean sea.

In March, a member of Turkey's Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Council told Sputnik in an interview that Turkey is considering annulling the decision to purchase F-16 fighter jets from the US due to their excruciating high cost and the availability of more modern versions on the market.

But things have turned around since Erdogan issued a decree approving the parliament's decision to accept Finland's NATO accession bid, which was one of the main obstacles lying ahead of the purchase.

Sweden's membership remains unratified. However, it is unlikely that chances for it to receive Turkey's approval are high - particularly in light of the provoking demonstrations carried out by extremist individuals who displayed blatant acts of islamophobia through the desecration of the Quran.