Their reflection on the re -emergence of Turkish violations in the airspace and territorial waters of Greece is expressed by members of the US Congress in a inter -party letter sent to President Donald Trump.

Legislators argue that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s moves pose risks of security and regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and point out that a possible reintegration of Ankara into the F-35 program could overturn a sensitive balance in the area.

In this letter, legislators raise a number of key issues, asking the US president to put them in the event of a meeting with his Turkish counterpart.

Among the issues presented are Turkey’s hegemonic and reviewing ambitionsas they are reflected in her doctrine “Blue Homeland”; the personal Erdogan’s alliance with Islamist terrorist groupsand Democratic slide inside of the neighboring country.

In this light, legislators respect Donald Trump with respect to raise the following issues at a possible meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan:

  • The use of F-16s provided by the US in Turkey for systematic breach of Greek airspace
  • Turkey’s non-reintegration of the F-35 program while Ankara maintains the S-400 system and continues its destabilizing actions.
  • The adoption of revisionist policies by Erdogan who are beneficial to Russia and are at the expense of NATO’s cohesion and security.
  • The problematic policy of the “blue homeland” and the danger it presents about the domination and integrity of territorial waters and maritime zones of Greece and Cyprus.
  • The personal and political bonds that Erdogan maintains with Hamas senior executives and his sympathy for Hamas’ goal for the elimination of Israeli state.
  • The anti -Semitic and anti -aronistic rhetoric often adopted by Erdogan.
  • The continuation of the illegal occupation of Cyprus.
  • Respect for human rights and political opposition within the country.

Legislators acknowledge that it is in the interest of the United States that Turkey is a powerful and reliable ally within NATO, as it is a country that spends 2% of GDP required In the field of defense in a troubled and dynamic area and could therefore serve as a power multiplier for the US and their allies.

However, they recall that President Erdogan has shown that he is following a political agenda that is not in line with US interests and values. Indicatively it is reported to have expressed his desire to join the BRICS, has pursued a status within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, At the same time supporting Islamic groups in Syria and killing the Kurds.

The inter -party letter Signed in total by 22 legislatorsincluding the Vice -President of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory. The initiative to send the inter -party letter belongs to the Democratic Member Dina Titus.

Turkey’s hegemonic ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean

For years, President Erdogan has been competing with Turkey’s neighbors, including NATO allies, violating the Greek airspace, holding illegal sections of the Republic of Cyprus, harassing ships in the Aegean Sea and threatening to invade Greece and Israel. Despite the total recession of tensions between Greece and Turkey, we are particularly concerned about the sudden increase in violations of the Greek airspace with F-16 aircraft, which have been provided by the US to Ankara, and the Greek territorial waters violations that have occurred during the last year. This behavior is unacceptable for a NATO ally and is a constant threat to the safety of a vital European partner. In this context, a sensitive balance in the region would be overthrown if Turkey was reintegrating the F-35 program.

President Erdogan has also adopted the alarming review policy called “blue homeland”. This serves as a political and military reasons for promoting its sovereignty in the Eastern Mediterranean to the detriment of other regional forces. Under the auspices of the “Blue Homeland”, Turkish vessels challenge the Greek and Cypriot exclusive economic zones with alarming pace. Erdogan claims natural gas deposits off the coast of Cyprus. He even signed a memorandum with the Temporary Libyan Government in Tripoli, which violates the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus. This policy despises international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and promotes Erdogan’s goals for regional sovereignty and his neo -Ottoman ambitions.

Also, President Erdogan continues to hold the Republic of Cyprus unjustly and illegally. Fifty -one years ago, Turkey invaded Cyprus and began a horrific campaign for ethnic cleansing parts of the island, destruction of religious monuments and abduction and disappearance of Greek Cypriots living there. Since then, the so -called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, which occupying about one -third of the island’s territory, has been found illegal by many successive resolutions by the UN Security Council and Turkey has been convicted by the European Court of Human Rights for the various crimes against humanity.

Relationships with Russia and possession of the S-400 system

In addition, Turkey has adopted policies that support NATO opponents, such as Russia. This attitude is clearly evidenced by the market of the Russian S-400 rocket defense system by Erdogan in 2019, which he maintains to this day. This decision triggered the withdrawal of Ankara from the F-35 program and the imposition of sanctions, in accordance with the law on the treatment of US opponents through sanctions (CAATSA). The presence of Russian technology within NATO is a threat to both security and cyberspace for the entire alliance, as the S-400s are completely incompatible with NATO and US technology, including the F-35s. Consequently, Congress condemned Erdogan’s decision and passed legislation in 2019 that prevented the transfer of any F-35 aircraft or support equipment or components in Turkey, as well as any intellectual property, technical data or material support required for the maintenance of F-35 aircraft.

Relationships with chamomes and Islamic groups

Since October 7, 2023, when hundreds of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and had a horrific attack on innocent citizens, leaders from all over the world strongly condemned the attack and called Hamas to release the hostages and testify. However, a leader did not. Instead, Erdogan said that “Hamas is not a terrorist organization. It’s a release team. ” Since then, Erdogan has been acting as the main patron of Hamas. It has allowed Turkey to serve as the hub of the international financial transactions of the terrorist group. He has equated the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with those of Hitler, with the most notable example being his speech at the high level of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024. He has announced the end of each trade with Israel. He ruled out any possible NATO cooperation with Israel, even threatening to invade Israel.

At the same time, Erdogan sought closer personal and political ties with Hamas’s higher leadership. He has offered a safe haven to Hamas terrorists such as Ismail Haniya, Haled Mesal and Saleh al-Aruri. He proclaimed a day of mourning in Turkey after Ismail Haniya’s death and ordered the flags at the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv in honor of Haniya. He also gave a step to Haled Mesal, a designated terrorist by the US Department of Justice, to invite the Palestinians to carry out suicide bombings on Israelis during a speech at a conference in Istanbul.

Democratic slide

Finally, there has been a significant suppression of the political opposition within Turkey. President Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party have become more and more authoritarian in recent years, establishing their power through constitutional changes and imprisonment of opponents and critics. While Erdogan systematically rejects the observance of human rights rules or respect for the political opposition within this alleged democracy, the arrest of the Mayor of Constantinople on March 19, 2025, shows a sudden move to further establish his power. In the last month, Erdogan raided his 106 political opponents’ homes, banned protests and used police to violently suppress any public disagreement. Impossible investigations, persecutions and convictions of human rights defenders, journalists, opposition politicians and others are features of society in Turkey. The laws against terrorism and misinformation have been used to limit freedom of expression. The freedom of concentrating peacefully has been illegally limited. The distribution of help after the February 2023 earthquakes failed to adequately address the rights and needs of people with disabilities. And violence against women and girls remains widespread.

The letter was signed by their Dina Titus, Gregory Meeks, Brad Schneider, Chris Pappas, Vern Buchanan, William Keating, Dan Goldman, Lloyd Doggett, Wesley Bell, Emanuel Cleaver, Jim Costa, Ted Lieu, Josh Gottheimer, James McGovern, Frankone, Grace Meng, Ritchie Torres, Gus Bilirakis, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Greg Landsman, Joaquin Castro and Julie Johnson.

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