The Greek media, which headlined the scandalous letter sent to US leader Biden, quoted an article in the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle: “Greece is Turkey’s most powerful political and military adversary…”
Greece, which is making a concerted effort to stop Turkey’s proposed purchase of 40 new F-16 fighter jets and 80 modernisation kits from the United States, is relying on the Greek lobby in Washington. The green light given to Ankara by the Joe Biden administration and the concrete steps taken for the sale of the jets forced senators, led by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, who strongly opposed the fighter jet shipment, to take a new step.
The back-to-back scandals staged in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, last month revealed a new equation. YPG terrorists hung a model of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and a few days later, far-right extremist Rasmus Paludan burnt the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy.
Following the scandals, Turkey closed the doors of the alliance to Sweden, which was waiting for Ankara’s approval to join NATO. Ankara also postponed indefinitely a trilateral mechanism meeting with Stockholm and Helsinki in February.
Stockholm had been planning to formally join the alliance at the NATO summit in July, but this aspiration has turned out to be a pipe dream. US senators have written a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to condition the $20 billion sale of F-16s to Turkey on Sweden and Finland.
In the letter, 29 senators from the Republican and Democratic parties called for a delay in the F-16 sale until Sweden and Finland’s entry into NATO is approved. Arguing that the Scandinavian countries are making a “full and good faith effort” to fulfil Ankara’s conditions, the senators wrote: “Once Turkey has ratified the protocols for joining NATO, Congress can consider the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Failure to do so would call this sale into question,” the senators said:
“The failure to sign the protocols of accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, or to provide a timetable for ratification, threatens the unity of the Alliance at this crucial moment in its history, when Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. We expect the Turkish government to ratify the protocols of accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO. However, Turkey’s failure to fulfil its obligations under the trilateral memorandum between Sweden and Finland must be taken into account, and Congress cannot consider continued support for Turkey in the future, including F-16 sales, unless Turkey completes the ratification process for the accession protocols.”
The letter was signed by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Thom Tillis, co-chairs of the US Senate NATO Observer Group. With this letter, Congress, for the first time, directly and explicitly linked the sale of F-16s to Turkey with the accession of the two Scandinavian countries to NATO. However, the Biden administration, which has repeatedly declared its support for the sale, refuses to link the two issues.
Describing Turkey as a ‘valued NATO’ member and praising Ankara’s role in the grain deal, the letter argued that vetoing the Scandinavian countries ‘casts a shadow’ on this relationship:
[su_quote]”Turkey’s delay in ratification poses a risk to the security of the Alliance, Europe and the rest of the world as Putin’s threats continue.”[/su_quote]
As expected, the Greek media gave the news coming from Washington in the headlines. Skai TV ran the headline ‘Senatorial bloc for F-16s to Turkey in letter to Biden’, CNN Greece said ‘US senators to Biden: F-16s to Turkey only after Sweden and Finland join’.
Kathimerini newspaper’s headline read, ‘US senators: No F-16 deliveries to Turkey until Sweden and Finland join NATO’.
To Vima chose the headline ‘US senators’ ultimatum for F-16 sales to Turkey’, while Ta Nea’s headline was ‘US senators link F-16 deliveries to Turkey with Finland and Sweden’s accession’.
The US State Department’s statement was also featured in the pages of the newspapers. State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked about the letter sent to President Biden at the daily press conference. Price reminded that the White House supported the F-16 sale and said that Congress also had a say in the process.
