Greece’s main opposition party, SYRIZA, issued a statement on Sunday, urging the government to address what it referred to as “aggressive statements by Erdogan” following the US State Department’s approval of Turkey’s request for F-16s.
In their statement, SYRIZA specifically highlighted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent remarks, highlighting that “the struggle does not end by throwing the enemy into the sea.” T
hese statements came just 24 hours after the US informed Congress of the F-16 sale to Turkey.
SYRIZA argues that this is indicative of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ diplomatic misstep in relying on the non-legally binding Athens Declaration signed in December for improved Greek-Turkish relations.
The opposition party reiterated its previous warnings, asserting that without a comprehensive national strategy engaging Turkey in dialogue based on international law and respect for good neighbourly relations, Turkey would resort to provocations once its demands were secured.
SYRIZA further called for government confirmation regarding alleged US terms imposed on Turkey within the F-16 sale and modernisation program.
They cited recent statements by US congressional leaders refuting any conditions restricting aircraft use against Greece and Cyprus.
On a related note, the Biden administration formally informed Congress on Friday of its intention to proceed with a $8.6-billion deal to sell 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets to Greece. Simultaneously, the administration announced the $23 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, highlighting Washington’s attempt to balance relations between two alliance members with a history of tense interactions.
