Democrat MP in SKAI: We will work for a “parliamentary bloc” in Turkey

The efforts made by the Greek-American parliamentarians, and the Greek lobby as a whole, to describe Turkey’s daily challenges vis-à-vis Greece, therefore also the reason why the US should not further arm the neighbor, explains the Democratic MP speaking to SKAI Dina Titus, in the shadow of the new “ice” imposed by Washington on Ankara.

The interview with SKAI Washington correspondent Christodoulos Athanasatos in detail:

SKAI: You are one of the MPs who strongly opposed the sale of new F-16 aircraft to Turkey. Are you certain that the majority of your colleagues in Congress will agree? Because we see that the State Department or even the White House are not on the “same page”

NT: I ​​believe that opposition to Turkey is growing, as it has proven to be not a reliable ally. You have seen statements from the Greek MPs, Sarbanis, Bilirakis and myself, and in addition there is also the Senate front. So I don’t think there is much support for Turkey in Congress, but we will certainly work to turn it into a parliamentary bloc. It will need approval from Congress. And there don’t seem to be people rushing to sell more F-16s to Turkey. We sanction Turkey because of its purchase of military equipment from Russia, and we suspect that it may be planning to do the same thing again. So I don’t see the president succeeding here.

: Do you think that in general the United States has done enough to hold President Erdogan to account?

NT: Well, the United States is in a difficult position because of geopolitics. But since the attack on the Turkish embassy, ​​we see more and more that Turkey just wants to be an aggressor in the region. And think in how many different ways, the overflights over Greece, the situation in Cyprus, the “good” relations with the Russians. Also, what are they proposing or planning in Syria. And inside you see the suppression of the press and human rights. Therefore, Turkey is seen for what it is, and so is Erdogan.

SKAI: And although almost everyone agrees that the possibility of an attack by one NATO ally on another is small, in the event of an escalation between Greece and Turkey, how should United States officials react?

NT: Well, the US has been very supportive of Greece and has threatened additional sanctions as well. We monitor all the overflights that Turkey makes over Greece. We will stand by our Greek allyas far as I’m concerned personally, but I think many members of Congress feel the same way.

Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.