Menendez: Why I signed the request to sell F-35s to Greece

The reasons why he approved the sale of F-35s to Greece were explained by the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, as he announced from the Delphi Economic Forum in Washington.

“I did it because Greece shares in many areas the same values ​​as us for democracy, human rights, the rule of law and we follow a common path. Because it is a country that is not hostile towards its neighbors, but quite the opposite,” the Senator emphasized.

I am satisfied because two days ago, I signed the request for F 35s to Greece. I did it not because I am a fan of the Greek people. I did it because this is a country that shares our values ​​and is aligned with us in important areas. For democracy, human rights, the rule of law, a country that is not hostile to its neighbors, but quite the opposite.

When we have shared values ​​with a country and there is also a strategic interest, I have no problem giving the green light as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee that has jurisdiction over the matter. I have no problem signing under these circumstances. But when a country does the exact opposite of that, then yes, I have a problem agreeing to that kind of sale.

Even if Turkey under Erdogan was the Turkey we would like it to be, a secular state with strong NATO values ​​with which we share our values ​​of democracy, the rule of law and human rights even then we would need a strategy for the eastern Mediterranean.

And so, what I tried to do with the bill that became law, was to convince the American governments to see the eastern Mediterranean through a different dynamic, a dynamic that creates economic opportunities, a dynamic that unlocks the energy fields of Greece, the Cyprus, as well as Israel. A dynamic through which a stronger security relationship can exist.

I am pleased to see that with my urging and help, we lifted the arms embargo, not because Cyprus is going to buy a ton of offensive or defensive equipment, but because it was very important to recognize Cyprus’ right to do so. As well as the fact that Cyprus did a lot of important things, including banning Russian ships from docking, and that was before it softened the invasion.

The evolution of Alexandroupolis which I visited last year when I was in Greece. It has unlimited potential. I think all these elements are to the benefit of the United States and Greece. One of the things Greece’s neighbors who may be competitive should think about is the following.

Mr. Menetez raised the question of whether it is right for Greece to have this relationship with its NATO ally, the United States, only to immediately respond by saying:

“So wait a minute, you want to hit a country that has an American presence in the Souda Gulf? You want to hit a country that has such an American presence in Alexandroupolis. Do you really think that’s smart? I don’t think it’s smart to do any of that. Because there is no reason, Greece did nothing to finally provoke Turkey. So it’s definitely competitive.

Referring to the lifting of the arms embargo on Cyprus, he argued that it was a fair decision for a country that is building a strong relationship with the US.

Regarding the elections in Cyprus, he noted that the Cypriot people will decide who will be their leader. It seems to me that in any case, with both candidates we will have a strong relationship between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus. The point is that we are working on, in the East Med, the strategy and the defense and the cutting edge of the parliamentary effort in the high-level talks between the three countries and that will continue, I don’t see any difference.

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