A clear message to Turkey that he continues to be against the sale of F-16s to Ankara, and that Turkey has not done enough to be rewarded in this way, the senator sends Bob Menendez speaking to ERT. “I continue to be against the sale of F-16s. THE Turkey has not done enough to be rewarded in this way. I will continue to oppose in killer upgrades that exist in the present system” clearly underlines the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Asked about the State Department’s recent approval of an earlier request to buy $260 million worth of defense equipment from Turkey, Bob Menendez clarifies that this is not an upgrade of the F-16s. “It’s not an offensive weapon, it’s not a missile system, it’s not an upgrade to the F-16 that would make it more lethal. It’s just about communication. In this way it is a message to Turkey, which has reduced its bellicose stance, for now at least in words and actions, towards its neighboring country the Hellenic Republic: “If you chart a different path, they are created different possibilities”» specifically states.

Furthermore, the American senator declares that Turkey must stop its warlike behavior towards Greece. It also makes it clear that Greece does not maintain a bellicose stance and that this does not apply to Erdogan’s Turkey. “I have always seen the Greek government willing to live peacefully, safely, with its neighboring country, Turkey. In this matter, Greece did not have the bellicose attitude. It’s not her which violates Turkish airspace. It’s not her which invades the territorial waters of Turkey. He does not express himself in a belligerent style, “We’ll come one night”… Therefore, I suppose that Greece, regardless of who will be elected… I know at least for the current prime minister, had a positive attitude. She is admired in the US because he does not take a warlike stance. This is not the case in Erdogan’s Turkey. We will see who will be elected in Turkey. But I hope that the attitude will change, so that NATO allies are true NATO allies, meet not only the security responsibilities but also the principles and values ​​that NATO calls for and live peacefully in the region. This will only lead to greater prosperity and wealth.”

The Greek group in the House of Representatives opposes the “small package” of the Turkish F-16 upgrade

It is noted, however, that according to SKAI’s Washington correspondent Christodoulos Athanasatos, Greek-American MPs Chris Papas, Nicole Malliotakis, Gus Bilirakis and Dina Titous remain it is even assigned to upgrade the system communication of the Turkish F-16s.

Although leaders of the Hellenic Group in the House of Representatives acknowledge that this package contains only some basic upgrades that will improve communication within NATO, US lawmakers point out that President Erdogan continues to persist in the same destabilizing behavior that threatens the US interests. According to AMPE they stated the following:

Rep. Chris Papas

“I am disappointed that the government proceeded with this sale without fully addressing Turkey’s reckless behavior in the Aegean. I am relieved that this sale does not include F-16 modernization kits, but the government must address the co-location risks and NATO security architecture concerns I have previously expressed while Turkey continues to possess the Russian S-400 missile system. Until then, I will continue to work bipartisanly with members of our team to oppose the sale of F-16 upgrade kits and new F-16s to Turkey.”

MP Gas Bilirakis

“President Erdogan has become notorious for his belligerent rhetoric and role as a destabilizing factor in the Eastern Mediterranean. He must be held accountable for his increased aggression and behavior that undermines US interests and not be rewarded with any military sales. The United States must remain steadfast in its commitment not to provide Turkey with weapons that it will then use to threaten its peaceful neighbors.”

MP Nicole Malliotaki

“Nearly a year ago, Prime Minister Mitsotakis spoke before Congress to highlight the strong bilateral relationship between the US and Greece and highlight Erdogan’s unjustified aggression and thousands of illegal overflights over Greek islands. Erdogan also chose to align himself with Iran’s Raisi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Simply put, he cannot be trusted. As a proud Greek-American and member of the Hellenic Caucus in the House of Representatives, I am extremely concerned that the Biden administration is ignoring these actions and our warnings. I join my Hellenistic colleagues in condemning this sale and encourage my colleagues to think carefully before approving any future sales to Turkey.”

MP Dina Titus

“My colleagues on the Hellenic Caucus and I have urged President Biden and the State Department not to award Turkey with F-16s for its continued violation of Greece’s territorial sovereignty. While these software upgrades to their current fleet will improve communications with NATO and overall security, the Biden administration still needs to explain how they are working to deter Turkey’s adversarial actions toward our NATO ally and democratic partner, the Hellas. There are too many issues for any F-16 sale to go forward.”