US State Department Comment on F-16 Sale to Turkey

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US stands ready to meet the defense needs of Turkey, its important NATO ally, with regard to removing clauses restricting the sale of F-16 to Turkey from the final text of the defense budget.

Making assessments at the daily press conference, Price was asked to remove restrictive conditions for F-16 sales to Turkey from the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which also includes the defense budget.

Price responded to the question as follows:

“Of course, Turkey is an important NATO ally, an important security partner. We want to integrate our defense capabilities and provide what Turkey needs to deal with the formidable threats it faces. No NATO ally has been the target of more terrorist attacks on its own soil than our Turkish allies. Therefore, our cooperation in the field of security is of great importance to us.”

Stating that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Joe Biden discussed this issue when they met at the NATO Summit in Madrid in the summer, Price noted that there were also discussions at lower levels and that the US State Department spoke before Congress on this issue. .

When New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, known for his closeness to Greek and Armenian lobby groups, was asked by a Greek media reporter that he would prevent sales of F-16s to Turkey, Price said Turkey is an important partner. of NATO and that it is the country that faces the most threats in NATO.

“Of course, we are trying to make sure Turkey has the defense capabilities it needs to maintain its role as a major NATO ally,” Price said.

Greek Journalist: “Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said yesterday that they will attack Greece. Will you allow this?” “We want any disputes between our NATO allies to be resolved diplomatically,” Price said. Greece is an important ally. Turkey is an important ally,” he said. (BRITISH AUTOMOBILE CLUB)