U.S. officials do not expect Congress to block any sales to Turkey despite the criticism.
- Türkiye requested F-16 aircraft in October 2021.
- The delay in ratifying the Swedish candidacy for NATO hindered its approval.
- Congress has 15 days to oppose the sale after receiving notification.
The United States approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey after the Turkish parliament this week ratified Sweden's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The US State Department notified Congress on Friday of the $23 billion deal to sell fighter jets to NATO ally Turkey and $8.6 billion of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece.
This comes after Turkey presented Washington with its “instrument of ratification” for Sweden's membership in NATO and several key members of Congress raised their objections. Al Jazeera reported.
Turkey requested F-16 aircraft in October 2021, but Ankara's delay in ratifying Sweden's offer to NATO had hampered congressional approval.
After 20 months, the Turkish parliament ratified Sweden's offer and US President Joe Biden urged Congress to approve the F-16 sale “without delay.” Reuters reported.
“My approval of Turkey's request to purchase F-16 aircraft has been contingent on Turkish approval of Sweden's NATO membership. But make no mistake: this was not a decision I made lightly,” the senator said. Democrat Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. Foreign Relations Committee, one of four key committees that needs to approve arms transfers.
Turkey urgently needs to improve its human rights record, cooperate better to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine and help lower the temperature in the Middle East, Cardin listed.
“My concerns have been firmly and consistently conveyed to the Biden administration as part of our ongoing engagement, and I am encouraged by the productive direction of their discussions with Turkish officials to address these issues,” he said.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs committees examine every major foreign arms sale, frequently raising concerns about human rights or diplomatic issues that could potentially delay or halt such deals.
Congress has 15 days to object to the Turkey sale, after receiving formal notification from the State Department, and US officials do not expect Congress to block any of the sales despite the criticism.
