In compliance with US legislation, the State Department has formally informed Congress about an agreement involving Turkey, along with a separate $8.6 billion deal concerning the sale of 40 F-35s to Greece.
According to a statement released by the State Department, Turkey is set to receive 40 new F-16s along with upgrades to 79 of its existing fleet of jets.
Highlighting the intricacies of the negotiations, a US official revealed that the United States delayed authorization of the transaction until Turkey’s instruments of ratification for Sweden’s NATO membership had reached Washington. This underscores the sensitivity surrounding the discussions.
All instruments of ratification are required to be deposited in the US capital, a city that will host NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg next week, coinciding with an upcoming summit in July marking the 75th anniversary of the trans-Atlantic alliance.
Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO membership on Tuesday after more than a year of delays, which disrupted Western efforts to demonstrate unity in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Initially, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed reservations regarding Sweden’s NATO bid, citing concerns over Stockholm’s perceived support for Kurdish groups that Ankara considers as “terrorist” organizations. However, Sweden responded by strengthening its anti-terrorism legislation and implementing other security measures requested by Erdogan.
Subsequently, Erdogan sought to fulfill an unmet US commitment to supply a batch of F-16 fighter jets, a transaction that faced resistance in Congress due to Turkey’s perceived human rights issues and tensions with NATO ally Greece.
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat Ben Cardin, announced on Friday his approval of the F-16 sale to Turkey, albeit acknowledging the gravity of the decision.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken led intensive diplomatic efforts to broker the deal, emphasizing to the Turkish president during a visit to Ankara following the February 2023 earthquake that the planes would not be delivered if Turkey impeded Sweden’s NATO bid, according to the US official.
In contrast, Athens vehemently opposed the sale due to unresolved territorial disputes with Turkey in the energy-rich Mediterranean region.
The agreement with Turkey was contingent upon Athens not obstructing the sale, with Greece concurrently granted more advanced F-35s.
Turkey’s aging air force stands to benefit from the acquisition of new F-16s, following Ankara’s expulsion from the US-led F-35 joint strike fighter program in 2019 due to its purchase of an advanced Russian missile defense system.
With Turkey’s approval of Swedish NATO membership, Hungary remains the sole holdout in an accession process initiated by Sweden and Finland in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest for discussions on the bid, despite indications of strained relations between the two countries.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed the meeting with Orban but emphasized that negotiations regarding Stockholm’s NATO bid were not on the agenda.
In Washington, the completion of the process is expected to take a few more weeks, with hopes of a flag-raising ceremony during the next NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels in April.
(AFP)
