Cavusoglu in a chokehold in Washington

By Athena Papakosta

The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, is in Washington today to have bilateral meeting with his American counterpartAnthony Blinken where it is expected to discuss – among other things – the purchase and modernization of the F-16.

This is a rare visit of a high-ranking Turkish official to the country with a not easy mission to re-approach Ankara-Washington on the issue of defense cooperation as intense pressure is expected to be exerted.

It may be that the Biden administration – which for two years has chosen to keep its distance from the authoritarian Erdogan regime – is finally giving in to the sale of upgraded F-16s to Ankara, however, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and also a Democrat , Robert Menendez reacts and does not hide it. After all, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is the committee responsible for approving defense contracts, and its chairman has veto power because of his position.

The State Department has not taken a stand, sticking to its longstanding position of not commenting on any proposed defense contracts before Congress is formally briefed. But the climate in it is not at all favorable in favor of Ankara. The obstacles it poses to Sweden and Finland joining NATO have added to its already strained position.

The violations of the Greek airspace, combined with Ankara’s aggressive rhetoric against Athens as well as the country’s turn towards authoritarianism and arrogance, generate irritation and concern in the corridors of Congress, which does not forget Ankara’s choice to acquire the S-400 air defense missile systems from Moscow; A move for which Turkey was punished by the US and kicked out of the program to co-produce up to 100 F-35s for its air force.

Indicative was the statement prepared by the office of the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in which it is clear that the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will continue to block the sale of warplanes to Turkey. In more detail, Robert Menendez criticized the Turkish president for continuing to “undermine international law, ignore human rights and democratic norms, and display alarming and destabilizing behavior against neighboring NATO allies.”

And he made it clear again that “until Erdogan stops his threats, improves his human rights record at home – including freeing journalists and the political opposition – and begins to act as a trusted ally should, we will not I approve this sale.”

Along the same lines, the Hellenic-American Institute expresses its strong opposition to the possibility of selling the fighters, underlining that “Turkey is using aircraft supplied by the United States to violate Greek airspace, in violation of United States legislation on the sale and use military equipment and furthermore, it had been removed from the F-35 program in order to purchase Russian S-400 systems, for which it continues to be subject to sanctions.”

For his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, expressed his optimism about the outcome of the process. “We have reached an agreement with the Biden administration and it is important that the American administration emphasized the fact that this agreement is important not only for Turkey but also for NATO,” he emphasized and added that “if it remains determined then, there will be no problem.”

At the same time, Washington is making an offer to Athens with the intention of selling F-35s to Greece, which Menendez welcomed. Forbes has published an in-depth report in which its editor, Paul Idon, talks to Suleiman Ozeren, a professor at American University and a fellow at the Orion Policy Institute, who points out that Washington’s bilateral agreements in question are aimed at maintaining the balance between Turkey and of Greece with the plastiga however leaning towards the Greek side in recent years. As he explains, the power of Ankara in the region is compensated by the strengthening of Greece without, however, alienating Turkey, which maintains a critical position in NATO and the wider region.

Turkey and the United States are looking for a new modus operandi. The one-on-one meeting between Cavusoglu and Blinken on US soil somehow breaks the US embargo on the Biden administration against Ankara.

The Turkish foreign minister is well aware that there is still a long way to go. However, a first step is being taken regarding the realignment of Turkey and the US in defense cooperation, for which Congress will have to be convinced by arguments from the Biden administration and concessions from Ankara to give the green light and consent.

And this seems difficult for now, unless Turkey, which has been wanting F-16s for months, finally gives in to the terms of Menendez and other senators and parliamentarians who do not take kindly to the country’s overall attitude as an ally.

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