According to Reuters, on Friday, the Biden administration formally informed Congress that it intends to proceed with the sale of $23 billion worth of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, a move that tested ties with Ankara. The State Department sent a notification to advance the sale of 40 Lockheed Martin F-16s and nearly 80 modernization kits to Turkey. Ankara’s completion of the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership was directly linked to the jet sales.
Simultaneously, the Biden administration advanced the sale of 20 Lockheed F-35 stealth fighter jets to Greece, a $8.6 billion deal that aims to strike a balance between two alliance members with a history of tense relations. The sale had been pending due to Turkey’s delay in approving Sweden’s NATO bid. It initially made the request for the jets in October 2021.
Following 20 months of delay, the Turkish parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO bid earlier this week, leading to President Biden urging key congressional committee leaders to approve the F-16 sale “without delay.” The Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gave his final sign-off on Sweden’s ratification, which cleared the way for the sale to proceed, and the instrument of accession was delivered to Washington.
Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed that his approval of Turkey’s request was contingent on Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership, outlining the importance of this decision and the concerns that have been conveyed to the Biden administration regarding Turkey’s human rights record and diplomatic relations.
The leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committees review every major foreign arms sale and regularly raise concerns over human rights or diplomatic issues that can delay or stop such deals. It is important to note that following the transfer of the formal notification by the State Department, the Congress has 15 days to object to the sale, after which it is considered final.
U.S. officials do not expect the Congress to block either sale, despite criticism of Turkey by some members. The sale of the F-16s to Turkey and the F-35s to Greece represent significant steps in maintaining diplomatic relations and balancing the needs of various NATO members.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Costas Pitas and Eric Beech; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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