#NoJetsForTurkey coalition calls for US Congress scrutiny of F-16 sale
A group of organizations, informally known as the #NoJetsForTurkey coalition, has sent a letter to the leadership of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, urging a thorough review of recent details surrounding the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
Accusing Turkey of using its ratification of Sweden’s accession to NATO as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the US administration over the acquisition of the American-made jets, the organizations are calling for a mechanism that would hold Ankara accountable for the way it chooses to use the fighters.
“We have serious concerns that weapons transfers to Turkey will contribute to human rights violations and increase the possibility of conflict. Turkey has previously lent American F-16s to Azerbaijan for its assault on Artsakh, has used American F-16s to bomb our Kurdish partners in Syria, and has used American F-16s to violate Greek airspace and threaten Greece’s sovereignty,” notes the statement.
The letter is signed by the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), American Friends of Kurdistan, Armenian National Committee of America, Hindu American Foundation, In Defense of Christians and Middle East Forum.
The appeal comes a day after US President Joe Biden sent a letter to leaders of key Capitol Hill committees informing them of his intention to begin the formal notification process for the sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft to Turkey once Ankara completes Sweden’s NATO accession process.
Key legislators including Senators Ben Cardin and Jim Risch, along with Representatives Mike McCaul and Gregory Meeks, wield significant influence over American fighter jet deals. They will have a 15-day window to react or raise objections upon receipt of the State Department’s formal notification to Congress.
