Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has come out against a potential F-16 sale to Turkey that was reported by The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
The report said that the Biden administration is preparing to notify Congress of major arms deals for Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies that have been at odds over territorial disputes in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
The deal for Greece would be for at least 30 F-35 fighter jets, which will likely face no opposition from Congress. The sale for Turkey would be for 40 F-16 fighter jets and 79 kits to upgrade their existing fleet, but it may face stiff resistance. Many lawmakers in Congress aren’t happy with Ankara for several reasons, including Turkey withholding its approval of Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
US officials told the Journal that they are trying to convince Turkey to approve Sweden and Finland’s NATO bid, with one official calling the F-16 sale a “carrot on a stick.” The officials said Ankara’s approval would lead to less opposition in Congress over the deal.
In a statement rejecting the idea of the sale, Menendez cited alleged human rights abuses carried out by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, setting up a potential fight between Congress and the administration over the deal.
“President Erdogan continues to undermine international law, disregard human rights and democratic norms, and engage in alarming and destabilizing behavior in Turkey and against neighboring NATO allies,” Menendez said.
“Until Erdogan ceases his threats, improves his human rights record at home — including by releasing journalists and political opposition — and begins to act like a trusted ally should, I will not approve this sale,” he added.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is visiting the US this week and is due to arrive in Washington on Tuesday. The administration is expected to notify Congress of the potential deal when Cavusoglu is in Washington.
If the US wasn’t so busy being an arms dealer it might have bit more time to work for peace and understanding… The MIC has us by the jugular…
Exactly as President Dwight David Eisenhower predicted.
Biggest arms dealer in the world just dealing out more deaths and destruction to the rest of the world. Nothing to see here.
‘President Erdogan continues to undermine international law, disregard human rights’
Sure Bobby. But the $4 billion per year continues to flow to Israel, a country just as guilty as Turkey when it comes to violating international law. But Israel can count on the auto veto at the UN to make those violations disappear. And supporting that apartheid practicing country, like you do, makes your concern for human rights laughable.
Menendez has been in the tank so long he doesn’t realize there’s a world outside the tank.
Another bribe? What’s this one for? Sweden?
US = major arms deals for Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies that have been at odds over territorial disputes
way to go US arming both sides of a conflict.
back in WW2 Prescott Bush was an arms dealer profiting from selling weapons to nazis used to fight allies. who better qualified than his son G.H.W. Bush to be VP and then POTUS.
nobody says dick