By Penelope Galliou
The war in Ukraine and the geopolitical turmoil it has brought have changed many of the rules of diplomatic and bilateral relations with the big players, such as the US redefining its alliances, putting others on the “ice”, as has been the case with Ankara for months. and others strengthening them, as with Greece, in recent years.
However, Turkey’s geopolitical position would not allow Washington to isolate it completely, as this would probably have unpredictable consequences for NATO’s cohesion and security, especially in the critical period of the alliance.
Turkey’s Achilles heel remains its armament, especially after its insistence on Russian S-400 systems that led it to suffer US sanctions “expelling” Ankara from the F-35 program, while its request for market and upgrade F-16 fighters.
So far, history has shown that the American side occasionally uses some “cheese” against Turkey, keeping it vigilant and not actually wanting to remove it from a strategic partner.
In this context, last March, according to Reuters, the State Department had sent a letter to Congress, signed by Turkish-born official Naz Durakoglu, stating that a possible sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey would be in line with national security and would also serve the long-term unity of NATO.
Since then, of course, neither the State Department nor Congress has “taken any action” on the matter.
In a similar vein, however, the issue resurfaced, this time through the Wall Street Journal, which referred to Joe Bainen’s request to Congress to upgrade Turkish F-16 fighter jets with missiles and electronic systems. A report, however, that the State Department did not confirm while US sources downgraded it, citing a request to upgrade only the communication system of the fighters, based on interoperability within NATO.
“This development is not related to Turkey’s request to upgrade the F-16, nor does it announce new F-16 markets that will be approved by the US government,” they stressed.
The attitude of the Greek government
The Prime Minister from the podium of the Parliament during the debate gave a corresponding weight to what was mentioned in the article. Greece-US defense agreement.
“There seems to have been a procedural request at the US State Department for an upgrade of some F-16 communication systems,” he said, noting that “US foreign policy is not just a matter for the government. And that there are indeed many different voices in American foreign policy that see Turkey as a crucial strategic partner that should not be lost. That’s a fact, “he said.
He emphasized that the decision to export weapons was up to Congress, but said that “for the time being, Congress has refused to discuss the sale of weapons to Turkey in any way, precisely because they do not consider Turkey a reliable partner.”
Earlier, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias explained to Parliament that this was a pre-notation, not even a regular warning, and clarified once again Greece’s firm position regarding any upgrade of Turkey’s weapons systems: “The information we have and the information, It is not about new aircraft but radar and missiles, if you ask me as Greek Foreign Minister this is not a done deal, it is a pre-notation or even a regular warning.
However, as far as the Hellenic Republic is concerned, the upgrade of the Turkish arsenal is a problem, because Turkey is constantly violating our sovereign rights. So the position of the Greek government is clear. No no. As is clear on the issue of German submarines. No no. “We will express this clear view in Washington as well,” the foreign minister said clearly.
The Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, also referred to the issue of the F16, saying that although there is a relevant request from Turkey, but from this request until its approval by the Congress, there is a long way to go, he claimed. In support of his assessment, he even referred to his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, recalling that the Turkish Minister of Defense himself had stated that the road is long and uncertain.
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