J. Sarbanis to SKAI: “We will ensure that there are conditions that limit the sale of F-16s to Turkey”

The Greek American Democrat John Sarbanis who won a new term in the 3rd District of Maryland, achieving a difference of up to 10 percentage points against the Republican Iuripsi Morgan, spoke exclusively to “Dekatians” and Korina Georgiou and decoded the election result in the USA, but also how this will affect the Greek-American relations, assuring that regardless of party, support for Greek positions will remain strong, not only from the Greek-Americans who triumphed in the midterm elections but also from the Philhellenes who were elected.

He also talks about the block on the sale of F16 fighters to Turkey, stressing that Chris Pope’s amendment is in no real danger from the election result, since there will be a transition period that will give time to exert pressure on Turkey, unless it complies with the international rules.

Read the interview in detail:

Korina Georgiou: MP Sarbanis, welcome to SKAI TV and congratulations on your re-election. Given the recent victory in the electoral battle for all Greek expatriate candidates, how do you assess this victory and how important do you consider it for Greece?

John Sarbanis: As you can see we still have strong leadership in Congress among Greek Americans and I think that will help continue the strong partnership between the United States, Greece and Cyprus that is so important to all of our shared interests. This includes military cooperation, energy security, economic cooperation. This leadership includes many Philhellenes who were also re-elected.

Korina Georgiou: How strongly do you think national issues will be promoted in Congress in relation to the Turkish provocations?

John Sarbanis: We’re going to continue to push very hard to make sure these issues are top of mind for our partners as well. I believe that in recent years many of my colleagues in the House now know how important Greece and Cyprus are to America’s interests. I think we have also managed to make them understand how dangerously provocative Turkey’s behavior has been and the destabilization it is causing in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Corina Georgiou: Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate with close ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, lost to Democratic challenger John Fetterman. How do you comment on this defeat? Is this a positive sign for Greek interests?

John Sarbanes: For a number of reasons I was concerned about Mehmet Oz’s candidacy. I was of course particularly concerned about how he would position himself on the Greek-Turkish issues. So I was happy to see John Fetterman prevail. What you see in Congress, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives, is that there is bipartisan support for the relationship between Greece and the United States and between the US and Cyprus.

Corina Georgiou: If the Republicans finally win control of the Senate, is the amendment of Democratic Congressman Chris Pope, which provides for a block on the sale of F-16 fighters to Turkey, unless certain conditions are met, in jeopardy?

John Sarbanes: We have a transition period that we call the “lame duck” period, in which the current Congress, the current members, are still in office. We will ensure that there are some conditions that put restrictions on the sale of F-16 fighters to Turkey. So we will continue to press for it. If Turkey does not behave in a way that meets the standards of the international community and does not respect sovereignty, then it will face punishment for it.

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