The US is firm on its decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. A vote was held in the US Senate on Thursday (January 29) in an effort to overturn the approval of the sale of fighter jets to the country. The members voted 79 against and 13 in favor of the proposal. After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to Sweden’s membership in NATO, the country approved the delivery of warplanes worth 2,300 million dollars to the country. British news agency Reuters reported this news.
However, Republican Senator Rand Paul introduced a proposal in the Senate on Thursday in an effort to overturn the approval. Ahead of the vote, he criticized the Turkish government, saying that selling arms to the country meant further encouraging their ‘abuse’.
But it is important for Washington to keep its promises to the NATO ally, according to those who support arms sales to Turkey.
On January 26, the Biden administration officially announced the approval of arms sales to Turkey in Congress. The contract included the delivery of 40 new F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits for 79 Turkish F-16 aircraft.
In 2021, Türkiye first applied for the purchase of the combat aircraft. However, in the meantime, the United States has not approved the sale of warplanes to Turkey due to tensions in the alliance over Sweden’s NATO membership.
Turkey’s objection was that Sweden supports and harbors Kurdish separatists, identified as terrorist groups.
But after a delay of more than a year, US President Joe Biden urged US President Joe Biden to approve the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey when Turkish lawmakers approved Sweden’s application in January.
#United #States #steadfast #decision #sell #F16 #fighter #jets #Turkey
