Following Turkey’s final approval of Sweden’s NATO membership, the US government initiated sales of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. The responsible authority announced on Friday evening (local time) that Congress in Washington had been informed of the planned arms deal. The US parliament does not have to approve the deal, but can block it if in doubt. However, this is considered unlikely after Turkey finally allowed Sweden to join NATO.
After a year and a half of political wrangling, the majority of parliamentarians in Ankara voted for Sweden to become a member of NATO on Tuesday evening. The decision became final on Thursday evening with the publication of the so-called accession protocols in the Turkish government gazette. The NATO country Hungary has yet to officially agree to Sweden’s admission.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had linked his country’s approval to, among other things, the supply of fighter planes from the US. So far, however, there are reservations in Congress. A number of parliamentarians had repeatedly made it clear that they wanted to prevent the deal as long as Turkey blocked Sweden’s accession to NATO. Now nothing should stand in the way of sales.
The US administration had long emphasized its willingness to support the naval modernization that Erdogan sought – while making clear that this was not a quid pro quo for the country’s agreement to NATO’s northern expansion. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken only met his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and then Erdogan in Istanbul in early January.
The F-16 fighter jet is one of the most powerful military fighter jets in the world and is used in more than twenty countries. The machines from the American company Lockheed Martin can be used both in air defense and against targets on the ground, i.e. to push back enemy units. The F-16 can fly at extremely low altitudes and in all weather conditions.
The US administration of US President Joe Biden told Congress that the sale included 40 new F-16 fighter jets, as well as modernization packages for 79 F-16 fighter jets already owned by Turkey. The total value of the package is about 23 billion dollars (about 21 billion euros). (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
