In the fact that the foreign minister Anthony Blinken has assured the Senate that the Biden administration is not going to override the veto (congressional holding) on ​​the Turkish F-16, said Senator Robert Menendez.

The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate made this revelation by referring to the daily discussion he had with the American Secretary of State during the speech he made at the 38th annual conference of the International Coordination Committee of the Cyprus Struggle (ICCC) in Washington.

Referring to the conversation he had with Anthony Blinken, Senator Menendez said “I asked Minister Blinken directly, because he met with the Turkish Foreign Minister a few months ago. I asked him both before and after the meeting: “will you override the Senate’s objections to sales to Turkey and especially the F-16s?” And he answered me without hesitation “just as I told the Turkish foreign minister, I will tell you the same. I have no intention of overriding your objections to the arms sale.” And although Cavusoglu responded by pressing him, “if you agree to this sale to us why don’t you override his objections?”, Blinken replied “I won’t”».

Elsewhere in his speech, Sen. Menendez explained that the government technically can override lawmakers’ vetoes. Doing so, however, would go against a long-standing tradition, as only once has the White House overridden the will of Congress for a specific sale.

In any case, Senator Menendez expressed his satisfaction with the response and assurances offered by the Biden administration.

However, he did not hesitate to take it a step further, warning that even in the opposite case he would still have tools that he would not hesitate to use.

“I expected that would be the answer (of the Foreign Ministry), but I made it clear that I am glad to hear that answer. Of course, I have other tools just in case, but I don’t think I’ll need them, nor do I expect any conflict for that matter. It would be foolish for the government to do so“, the senator emphasized.