The message that the progress of Greek-American relations should not be affected by the dysfunctional relationship observed between Washington and Ankara is sent by Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) Eddie Zemenidis in a letter sent to the US Secretary of State ‘Anthony Blinken.

The letter was sent on the occasion of long-term delay observed in the process of selling F-35 fighters to Greece. According to information, the desire of the American side was to announce the sale of the Greek F-35s and the Turkish F-16s at the same time, so that there would be a minimum balance at least at the communication level.

However, the ongoing delay observed in the issue of Sweden’s accession to NATO does not allow the approval of the request for F-16s as a result there should be a delay in the F-35 issue as well. For his part, Mr. Zemenidis expresses frustration for this procrastinationhighlighting at the same time the risk of creating wrong impressions in Greek public opinion.

In this light, he calls on the American government to immediately finalize the sale of F-35s to Greece. As he notes in the letter, “At a time when discussions in Washington are raising questions in Europe about US leadership, we must avoid similar doubts arising in Greek public opinion. We must take every step to improve a bilateral relationship that is consistently described as ‘the best ever’. It’s time for this relationship to take the next step.”

Continuing, Mr. Zemenidis reminds the US Secretary of State that almost a year has passed since the State Department informed Congress about the possible sale of F-35s to Greece. In the intervening time, the Fourth US-Greece Strategic Dialogue was held, where a joint statement was issued stating that “both sides emphasized Greece’s military modernization efforts and look forward to continued cooperation in the procurement of defense items such as the F- 35”.

The final approval required in this first stage by Congress was given in June with the consent of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Minority Leader Jim Rees. From there, several Greek-American organizations had the opportunity to meet with the leadership of the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, where their officials indicated that approval of the sale of the F-35s would be approved within “a few weeks.”

In the letter, Eddie Zemenidis argues that the progress of Greek-American relations should not be affected by the dysfunctional relationship that exists between Washington and Ankara. “We are disappointed because the US government seems to take for granted the reliability and loyalty of Greece as an ally. The deepening of the US-Greece relationship cannot remain hostage to the dysfunctional relationship with Turkey”, it is pointed out.

Regarding the acquisition of the F-35s, Mr. Zemenidis expresses the belief that this development will strengthen the interests of the Western alliance at a critical geopolitical juncture. As he explains, “Greece’s acquisition of F-35s strengthens NATO, enhancing the capabilities of an ally that has stood resolutely against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. In addition, Greece’s geostrategic and diplomatic importance to the Western alliance has become even more critical due to the conflict to the south of Greece in Gaza.”

Finally, he emphasizes that Congress resists sale of F-16s to Turkey because of the anti-alliance behavior displayed by Ankara. “Turkey’s failure to secure congressional approval for the F-16 purchase is a result of exactly the opposite behavior (by Greece). Ankara increasingly cooperates with and provides political and financial cover to Moscow, contributes more to division than unity within NATO, and has emerged as a leading sponsor and apologist for Hamas.”