Ankara’s credibility in Washington is very low, emphasizes Mr. Manatos
The Greek-American lobby is on standby in view of bringing back the F16 purchase issue from Turkey.
Ankara’s credibility in Washington is very low, says Mike Manatos, one of the most prominent representatives of the lobby, speaking to SKAI, who even estimates that if Turkey escalates against Greece, the US intervention will be of a high level.
The interview in detail
Turkey has been escalating its rhetoric and aggression over the past two months with multiple violations of Greek airspace. Is the US willing to formally address this aggression?
In three generations of working in Washington with policymakers, we have seen firsthand the bureaucracy’s massive bias against Turkey. But with this administration in the White House, we have something unique. For the first time, we have a president of the United States who not only spends his 40-year career working to advance Greece-US relations and knows Erdogan personally, but also his secretary of state and national security adviser. very familiar with the region, he is not only a friend of Greece, but also has a remarkable track record in these matters. So we are confident that if things escalate, there will be a high level of participation. And surely behind the scenes, he continues to urge Turkey to do the right thing.
Turkey also accused Greece of harassing its aircraft during the NATO mission in the Mediterranean.
Well, look, Turkey’s credibility in Washington is weak, very limited. I think such claims are absolutely ridiculous. From the second largest military in NATO to accuse a country like Greece that has a very strong record internationally and certainly in US relations with Greece of somehow provoking them. The facts are very clear. They do not support these kinds of claims at all.
Why do you think that Turkish Foreign Minister Mr. Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated that Turkey will not proceed with the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the US if restrictions are imposed on their use.
I think it’s more the Turkey game. Look, they lost $14 billion when they were removed from the F-35 program because of the purchase of the Russian S-400s. They have an aging air force. They backed themselves into a corner. They have no other options that they can’t buy from Russia because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, nor can they buy from China. That’s really what they should do. And look, we have to watch this carefully from Washington, because from the US perspective, it’s a multi-billion dollar deal for US industry, but there’s no way Turkey is going to be given these kinds of advanced aircraft when the only will continue to threaten a US ally, Greece. Why are the planes needed other than to continue the problems they create in the area?
What do you think Erdogan is trying to achieve?
Well, I think the first thing he’s trying to do is get re-elected. And then I think the second thing he’s trying to achieve is continuing the revival of the Ottoman Empire with him as Sultan. I mean, clearly, his view of the world is so warped in so many ways. And, look, Turkey is technically a NATO ally, but their behavior over the last ten years and Erdogan has brought them closer to like-minded countries like Russia and Iran. So I think Washington and the rest of the world are well aware of this. 131317 .. And I must mention that I think the Prime Minister of Greece, Mitsotakis, has done an excellent job. He is seen time and time again from Washington’s perspective, by US policymakers as a very reliable, stable ally in the region, which is in direct contrast to the kind of rhetoric that Turkey and Erdogan and his ministers are using. on a regular basis.
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