Upheaval with State Department letter on “Turkish” F-16s and “Greek” F-35s: Today it goes to Congress

Even today Department of Statethe American Ministry of Foreign Affairs that is, it will notify Congress of the sale F-16 in Turkeyfollowing the ratification of Sweden's accession to NATO by the Turkish National Assembly.

At the same time, according to OPEN, he will also arrive at the Congress the F-35 sale letter in GREECE.

Letter to International Relations Committee Leaders

Letter to the leadership of the Committee on International Relations Senate and the House International Affairs Committee sent a group of organizations known as the “Fighter Coalition” to ask those lawmakers to scrutinize the final details of the potential fighter sale F-16 in Turkey.

The specific organizations speak of an extortion carried out by Turkey with occasion of Sweden's accession to NATO and urge the legislators to call for mechanisms to hold Ankara accountable if it continues to ignore US law, interests and alliances.

The chairmen and minority leaders of the specific committees (Senators Ben Cardin and Jim Reese, and Representatives Mike McCall and Gregory Meeks) are the lawmakers who essentially hold the keys to America's fighter jets, as when the State Department will send the official notification to Congress they will have the opportunity to react or raise objections within a period of 15 days.

The letter is signed by the following organizations: Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), American Friends of Kurdistan, Armenian National Committee of America, Hindu American Foundation, In Defense of Christians, Middle East Forum.

The letter emphasizes, among other things, that “the attitude of the State Department, which allowed this blackmail to develop should lead to increased vigilance on the part of Congress to ensure that American weapons they are not being used by Turkey against American interests, allies, partners, or values.”

The letter sent to congressional committee leaders

“On behalf of the members of the following organizations – American Friends of Kurdistan, Armenian National Committee of America, Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), Hindu American Foundation, In Defense of Christians and Middle East Forum – we are writing to urge you to exercise the highest level of congressional oversight of any sales of new F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits to the Republic of Turkey.

We welcome the news that Turkey may finally lift its long-standing veto on Sweden's NATO membership. Ankara's delay in this matter was inexcusable and proves that Turkey is not a reliable ally but – according to the statement of President Biden's National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan – an actor who pursues an “independent foreign policy”. Ankara does not care if this stance comes at a cost to NATO unity or Western security interests.

The most offensive part of Ankara's delay in Sweden's accession approval process is the open blackmail to secure concessions from Sweden, NATO, the European Union and the United States. The State Department's attitude of allowing this blackmail to unfold should lead to increased vigilance on the part of Congress to ensure that American weapons are not used by Turkey against American interests, allies, partners, or values.

We are aware of the various reasons the State Department has advanced to support the sale of F-16s to Turkey. However, two years since Turkey was sanctioned under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)we are unconvinced of any rationale justifying Turkey's continued violation of CAATSA or the State Department's invoking technicalities and making legal arguments designed to circumvent both your sanctions and your legislative intent.

Since past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, United States must ensure Turkey's use of F-16s complies with Arms Export Control Act and the government's policy on the transfer of conventional weapons.

Regarding this particular sale, we have serious concerns that arms transfers to Turkey will contribute to human rights abuses and increase the potential for conflict. Turkey has previously loaned US F-16s to Azerbaijan for its attack on Artsakh, has used US F-16s to bomb our Kurdish partners in Syria and has used US F-16s to violate Greek airspace and threaten Greece's sovereignty.

Turkey is a party to the 2006 Baku Declaration – along with Azerbaijan and Pakistan – through which they pledge to support each other's intransigent positions on Cyprus, Armenia and Kashmir, all against US interests. Since Turkey has also used other US weapons to continue its almost 50-year illegal and violent occupation of Cyprus, to attack the Kurds in Syria and Iraq and to recklessly target US troops in Syria and Iraq, we certainly face the possibility that US defensive weapons provided to Turkey to be used for illegal military purposes and not just for the purposes for which the United States intended.

Turkey's strong political and financial support for Hamas and its rhetorical support for the Houthis must also be considered before granting it the privilege of advanced US weapons. A true ally, one worthy of a meaningful defense relationship, should not support the United States on one front while undermining them on another. The US has on many occasions designated Turkish entities for supporting Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Turkey's second-largest bank has been implicated in the largest sanctions-busting scheme in history, one that benefits Iran. Lately, Turkey has done more to earn the designation of “state sponsor of terrorism” than to live up to the designation of “NATO ally.”

We urge you to apply the strictest scrutiny to any potential sale or transfer of F-16s or any major weapons system to Turkey and require mechanisms that they will make Ankara responsible if he continues to ignore US law, interests and alliances”