American congressmen, in a letter to the White House, express their strong disagreement to President Biden’s public support for Turkey’s request to purchase and upgrade F-16 fighter jets. In this effort, the Democratic Congressman Frank Pallon plays a leading role. The congressmen’s letter expresses concern about the White House’s stance, noting that such a development would reward President Erdogan for not honoring Turkey’s commitments to both the United States and NATO.
“THE Erdogan he chooses to put personal gain above the collective good of his allies. His choice to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO until he receives absurd assurances makes clear that he has done nothing to strengthen NATO since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked the biggest crisis the alliance has faced here and decades”, the MPs state in their letter.
Continuing, they argue that these practices of the Turkish president, which are against the common good of the alliance, should not come as a surprise, as Ankara has carried out a series of destabilizing actions, which stretch from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Middle East and North Africa.
“His (Erdogan’s) regime has repeatedly used its military might to destabilize the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, the South Caucasus and North Africa. Turkish and Turkish-backed forces have used US-made weapons and components during these incursions to commit war crimes, including bombing civilians and targets such as hospitals and schools in Iraq, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh. They have also been used repeatedly to violate the territorial integrity of NATO allies and partners, such as Greece and Cyprus. These are not the actions of a devoted and trusted ally“, is characteristically emphasized, as reported by the response of the Athens News Agency.
In this light, US lawmakers argue that selling advanced fighter jets to Turkey will provide no incentive for Erdogan to change his behavior and become a good ally. In fact, they estimate that the American weapons that will be given to Turkey may lead to more deaths and destruction in the wider region.
Finally, they remind president biden that Turkey continues to use the S-400 missile defense system, which can potentially expose important US weapons and military operations information to Russia. The letter concludes by saying “as your government seeks to promote the sale of new F-16 and modernization kits to Turkey, you should know that we will do everything possible as members of Congress to prevent it. The United States should not provide further support to Turkey’s military until tangible steps are taken to end destabilizing actions and violations of international law at home and abroad.”
Source: News Beast
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