The US House of Representatives approved new legislation to block President Joe Biden’s decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian grip on power and eroding freedoms for journalists, advocates and rights defenders have also prompted many in Washington to argue against a weapons sale to Turkey.
This comes after Ankara acquired a Russian-made missile defense system, triggering US sanctions following Turkey’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet program.
The measure, proposed by Democratic Representatives Frank Pallone and Greek American Chris Pappas, as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, by 244 to 179 was approved by the House on Thursday evening (local time), Reuters reported.
This is not the only effort by members of Congress to exert control over the sale of the Lockheed Martin aircraft to NATO ally Turkey, but it is the first that has been approved. However, it is several steps from becoming law. Once the House passes its version of the NDAA – expected later on Thursday – the Senate must approve its version. Then lawmakers must reach a compromise version of the legislation, which authorizes more than $800 billion in defense spending, before voting again later this year.
The amendment would bar the United States to sell or transfer the jets to Turkey unless the administration certifies that doing so is essential to US national security and included a description of concrete steps taken to ensure they are not used for repeated unauthorized overflights of Greece.
Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who reviews major international weapons deal, has said previously he opposed the sale.
Take a good look at this map. Crete, Rhodes, Lesvos, Chios, Samos all consumed by Turkey. Α fever dream of extremists or Turkey’s official policy? Another provocation or the true goal?
President Erdogan must make his position clear on his junior coalition partner's latest antics. pic.twitter.com/hX4sSZ924j— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) July 11, 2022
Greeks prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Turkey to explain a controversial map that was shared on social media earlier this week.
The image showed several major, inhabited Greek islands in the Aegean Sea that are claimed to belong to Turkey.
The map was reportedly gifted to Devlet Bahceli — the leader of a nationalist party allied with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — by the young ultranationalist Grey Wolves group.
“Take a good look at this map. Crete, Rhodes, Lesvos, Chios, Samos all consumed by Turkey,” Mitsotakis tweeted on Monday.
“Α fever dream of extremists or Turkey’s official policy? Another provocation or the true goal? President Erdogan must make his position clear on his junior coalition partner’s latest antics.”
The Greek prime minister exposed the Turkish president in the eyes of the international community and especially in Washington and Brussels, garnering the public support of officials.
Germany’s ambassador to Greece, Ernst Reichel, in a post on Twitter on Tuesday, sent the message that Germany’s position is clear: “Any questioning of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greece is unacceptable.”
