Make sure Türkiye will not use it against its allies

A group of organizations known as the Fighter Coalition sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House International Affairs Committee, asking those lawmakers to scrutinize the latest details about the potential sale of F-16 fighters to Turkey.

The identified organizations speak of Turkey's blackmail on the occasion of Sweden's accession to NATO, and urge lawmakers to call for mechanisms that would hold Ankara accountable if it continues to ignore American law, interests, and alliances.

The chairs of those committees and minority leaders (Senators Ben Cardin and Jim Reese, and Reps. Mike McCaul and Gregory Meeks) are the legislators who effectively hold the keys to America's fighter jets, as when the State Department sends the formal notification to Congress, Congress will have the opportunity to respond or formulate objections within a 15-day period. .

The letter was signed by the following organizations: Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), American Friends of Kurdistan, Armenian National Committee of America, Hindu Foundation of America, In Defense of Christians, and Middle East Forum.

The letter states, among other things, that “the State Department’s position, which allowed this blackmail to develop, should lead to increased vigilance on the part of Congress to ensure that Turkey does not use US weapons against US interests and its allies.” Or partners or values.”

the message

“On behalf of members of the following organizations – American Friends of Kurdistan, Armenian National Committee of America, Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), American Hindu Foundation, In Defense of Christians and Middle East Forum – we write to urge you to: Exercise the highest level of congressional oversight over any aircraft sales New F-16 fighter and modernization equipment for the Republic of Turkey.

We welcome the news that Turkey may finally lift its long-standing veto against Sweden's membership in NATO. Ankara's delay in this matter is unjustified, and demonstrates that Turkey is not a reliable ally, but – in the words of President Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan – an actor pursuing an “independent foreign policy.” Ankara does not care if this position comes at the expense of NATO unity or Western security interests.

The most offensive part of Ankara's delay in Sweden's accession approval process is its public blackmail to extract concessions from Sweden, NATO, the European Union, and the United States. The State Department's position of allowing this blackmail to play out should lead to increased vigilance on the part of Congress to ensure that Turkey does not use American weapons against American interests, allies, partners, or values.

We understand the various reasons why the State Department supported the sale of F-16 aircraft to Turkey. However, two years after the imposition of sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), we are not persuaded of any rationale justifying Turkey's continued violation of CAATSA or the State Department's invocation of technicalities and legal arguments designed to circumvent sanctions and legislative laws. . intention.

Since past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior, the United States must ensure that Turkey's use of F-16s is consistent with the Arms Export Control Act and the administration's policy on conventional arms transfers.

With regard to this sale in particular, we have serious concerns that arms transfers to Turkey will contribute to human rights violations and increase the potential for conflict. Turkey has previously loaned US F-16s to Azerbaijan for its attack on Artsakh, used US F-16s to bomb our Kurdish partners in Syria, and used US F-16s to violate Greek airspace and threaten Greece's sovereignty.

Turkey is a party to the 2006 Baku Declaration – along with Azerbaijan and Pakistan – in which they pledged to support each other's hard-line positions on Cyprus, Armenia and Kashmir, all of which conflict with US interests. Since Turkey has also used other US weapons to continue its violent and illegal occupation of Cyprus for nearly 50 years, attack Kurds in Syria and Iraq, and recklessly target US forces in Syria and Iraq, we certainly face the possibility that US defensive weapons provided to Turkey will be used for purposes Illegal military action and not only for the purposes that the United States intended to achieve.

Turkey's strong political and financial support for Hamas and its rhetorical support for the Houthis must also be taken into account before granting it the privilege of advanced American weapons. A true ally, worthy of a meaningful defense relationship, should not support the United States on one front while undermining it on another. The United States has on numerous occasions designated Turkish entities for supporting Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Turkey's second-largest bank has been involved in the largest sanctions-busting scheme in history, a scheme that benefits Iran. Recently, Turkey has made greater efforts to obtain the “state sponsor of terrorism” designation rather than living up to the “NATO ally” designation.

We urge you to apply the most stringent scrutiny to any potential sale or transfer of F-16s or any major weapons system to Turkey and demand mechanisms that will hold Ankara accountable if it continues to ignore American law, interests, and alliances.