Turkey is refusing to accept any conditions for its purchase of F-16 fighters from the United States, but Washington is dragging its feet on approving the sale until Ankara in turn approves Sweden’s and Finland’s bid to join NATO. (Turkish AF photo)
Türkiye’s top diplomat on Monday said Ankara would not buy U.S. F-16 fighter jets with preconditions and expressed his belief that the issue can be overcome if the Biden administration maintains a decisive stance.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu made it clear that Türkiye objects to the sale of F-16 warplanes being tied to ratifying the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland, which must be agreed upon by all 30 members of the trans-Atlantic defense alliance. Only the parliaments of Türkiye and Hungary have yet to give consent.
“It would not be right or fair to make two independent issues – the two countries’ NATO membership and the purchase of F-16s – conditional on each other,” Çavuşoğlu told a news conference alongside his American counterpart Anthony Blinken.
“It would not be possible for us to purchase the F-16s under these conditions.”