Biden administration intends to sell F-16 jets to Turkey
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Biden administration intends to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey for $20 billion, while a US prominent figure has opposed the deal, informed sources said on Friday.
The State Department sent the informal notice to Congress on Thursday to inform the Senate and House of Representatives of its intention to proceed with the deal.
The Biden administration said it has been in touch for months with Congress informally to win its approval, but it has failed so far.
Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that he “strongly” opposes the proposal.
Menendez added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan disregarded human rights and got involved in “alarming and destabilizing behavior in Turkey and against neighboring NATO allies.”
“Until Erdogan ceases his threats… and begins to act like a trusted ally should, I will not approve this sale,” he added.
At the same time, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is supposed to visit the US on Wednesday for talks on Syria and the aforementioned proposal.