41 members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken opposing the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
The bipartisan letter was drafted on the initiative of Democratic Representative Chris Pappas of New Hampshire and co-chairs of the Hellenic Caucus Gus Bilirakis (Republican from Florida) and Carolyn Maloney (Democratic from New York).
The letter follows recent reports that Turkey may buy 40 new F-16s from Lockheed Martin and 80 F-16 modernisation kits.
“We believe that the widespread reporting on Turkey’s request, as well as President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan’s own statements, provide us sufficient basis to declare our opposition to this potential sale,” the letter read.
“We share your goal of a Turkey that is rooted to the West, but we will not achieve that goal if the Erdoğan government escapes accountability for violating U.S. law and the standards of the NATO alliance,” continued the lawmakers.
The effort to prevent the sale of F-16s to Turkey is supported by the Hellenic American Leadership Council, the Armenian National Committee of America, the American Friends of Kurdistan, the Hindu American Foundation, the Middle East Forum, the American Jewish Committee, PSEKA, the American Hellenic Institute, the Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, and the Armenian Council of America.
“Turkey’s illegal and unfettered actions are indicative of President Erdogan’s transformation of Turkey to a rogue state led by a leader with a nationalistic philosophy, Neo-Ottoman ambitions, and a complete disregard for following international law,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “Erdogan continues to violate American law (the Countering American Adversaries through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA), which alone makes Turkey ineligible for new F16s. But beyond his violation of CAATSA, he also acts contrary to American interests, with his dangerous behavior contributing to the instability of the region. For all these reasons, we absolutely should not sell Turkey F-16s.”
“As Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, I am proud to join Rep. Pappas in opposing any transfer of such advanced and sensitive military equipment to Turkey,” said Congresswoman Maloney. “Turkey’s purchase and use of Russian S-400 missile systems in defiance of NATO standards and U.S. law, decades-long violations of the Republic of Cyprus’ sovereignty, and increasingly destabilizing behavior in the Eastern Mediterranean and West Asia clearly demonstrate that sales of advanced U.S. military equipment like the F-16 and associated modernization kits must stop.”
“I would like to commend Representatives Pappas, Bilirakis, and Maloney for leading their colleagues in asserting Congress’ role in U.S. foreign policy,” said Endy Zemenides, Executive Director, Hellenic American Leadership Council. “Congress forced the Trump Administration to do the right thing regarding Turkey and F35s, and now has to make sure no one in the Biden Administration tries to circumvent U.S. law and Congressional intent. Until Turkey decides to honor U.S. interests, U.S. values, and U.S. law, it should not get F-16s or any other American weapons.”
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