Sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey would be illegal : Pompeo

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – No CAATSA violation should be contemplated by our government at any time, former US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said.

In an interview with Greece’s state-run broadcaster ERT, Pompeo expressed his clear objection over the selling of Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

“No CAATSA violative action should be contemplated by our government at any time. I hope that the administration will comply with the US law,” Pompeo added.

On Sunday, the US President Joe Biden met his Turkish counterpart Erdoghan in Rome on the sidelines of G20 summit, where the latter made a request to the US to purchase 40 F-16 fighter jets and about 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.

The US sanctioned the NATO ally Turkey over its deployment of a S-400 Russian-made missile defense system, as it had removed it from the F-35s program in 2019.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described these sanctions, at the time, as “another manifestation of an arrogant attitude towards international law.”

Problems between countries, especially between NATO allies, should not be resolved by force,” Pompeo said criticizing Erdongan.

On October 25, Democratic and Republican US lawmakers urged Joe Biden’s administration not to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, expressing confidence that Congress would block such a deal.

Eleven members of the House of Representatives cited a profound sense of concern about recent reports that Turkey may purchase 40 new F-16s produced by Lockheed Martin and 80 modernization equipment for the same model.