US Senate: Ankara has to change policy if it wants to purchase F-16s
US lawmaker Robert Menendez affirms that Turkey must change its policy toward Greece and cease its "provocations inside Greek airspace and territorial waters."
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US Senate: Ankara has to change policy if it wants to purchase F-16s
Robert Menendez, the head of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, told the Greek newspaper Kathimerini that he opposes selling F-16 fighter jets to Turkey unless Ankara changes its political course and fulfills its obligations toward NATO by refusing to purchase Russia's S-400 missile defense system.
"Between continued antagonistic violations of Greece's airspace and the delaying of the accession process for Sweden and Finland's NATO membership, I sincerely hope Turkey will change course and live up to its responsibilities to the defense alliance by being the constructive partner in the region we all hope it can be. Until then, I cannot support the sale or transfer of American F-16 fighter jets to Turkey," the US Senator said in an interview with the media outlet.
According to Menendez, Ankara must stop "provocations inside Greek airspace and territorial waters."
The lawmaker also expressed concern over reports that Turkey was considering purchasing more of Russia's S-400 missile defense systems in alleged breach of US sanctions. He urged Ankara to reconsider its relations with Moscow, according to the news agency.
"Turkey's government has a responsibility and an opportunity to unequivocally demonstrate its commitment to NATO and the shared principles and values that underpin this critical partnership," Menendez was quoted as saying by Kathimerini.
In addition to Ankara's foreign policy, the US Senator reportedly criticized the internal policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to Menendez, the democratic process in Turkey is undermined, and religious freedom and freedom of speech are often violated.
Turkey wants to purchase 40 F-16 fighter jets from the US and modernize 80 others already in service. US President Joe Biden is currently seeking congressional approval for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. Senator Menendez, as head of the foreign relations committee, can veto the sale of the fighter jets.
Greece has been lobbying actively in opposition to the deal, which has forced Erdogan to abandon contacts with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and accuse him of violating the reached agreements.
Read more: Turkish-Greek tensions cloud NATO drills, Ankara will not participate
Last year, a US State Department spokesperson urged Turkey to avoid purchasing any additional Russian military equipment, adding that any significant new Russian arms purchases would risk triggering CAATSA 231 sanctions, referring to the 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The sanctions imposed on Turkey in 2018 have led to heavy depreciation of the Turkish lira.
On July 28, the Central Bank of Turkey raised the estimates for consumer prices to 60.4% by the end of the year 2022.
It stated in a report published that "the disinflationary process is expected to start with the steps taken and resolutely implemented to achieve sustainable price stability and stronger financial stability as well as the re-establishment of the global peace environment. Accordingly, inflation is projected to be 60.4% at the end of 2022; fall to 19.2% at the end of 2023, and sustain the downward trend by receding to 8.8% by the end of 2024."
The Central Bank forecasts reveal that year-end inflation has been raised by 17.6 percentage points from 42.8% projected in April.
