Turkey eyeing ‘massive’ arms deal with Britain – MEE
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Turkish government is exploring a “massive” arms deal with the British government, Middle East Eye (MEE) reports. The announcement was made only days after the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs failed to secure 20 F-16 fighter jets on a visit to Washington.
According to MEE, the Turco-British deal would include the sale of “fighter jets, transport planes, engines and frigates” at an estimated value of $10 billion. One Turkish source said that the deal is not yet “in the final stages of negotiations”.
Ankara still hopes to procure 40 US F-16 fighter jets at a cost of some $20 billion. Though US President Joe Biden has endorsed the deal, it faces multiple challenges in the US Congress. Lawmakers cite Turkey’s poor track record on upholding human rights, its threats against neighbor and fellow NATO member Greece, and its refusal to endorse Sweden and Finland’s bids for NATO accession.
There are additional doubts about whether Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency will survive Turkish elections in May or not, as it stands, he would likely be defeated by a unified opposition. Any deal signed before May could easily be undone by Erdogan’s successor.
Though even if it does, observers cannot but wonder what all the new armament is for. Turkey is in the process of making peace with the Syrian government, it still refuses to take a stand on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and it is getting chummy with former foes, such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. As it stands, Turkey’s most likely military targets are the US’ main partner in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF); Greece, a NATO member; and Cyprus, a EU member.