A veiled threat to Turkey by an American politician: if an American dies…
Following the statements and messages that Turkey will organize a ground operation in Syria, James Risch, a senior figure in the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement.
Speaking to Kathimerini, one of the most widely read newspapers in Greece, following statements by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, who had the support of the Greek lobby, that he wanted to prevent the sale of F-16s to Turkey, Risch said that there are some conditions for giving the green light to the sale of F-16s to Turkey.
Risch, one of the leading figures on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which technically has the opportunity to block the sale, said: “For Congress to give the green light to the sale of the F-16 from Turkey, the problems in relations between the United States and Turkey must be cleared “Congress has yet to notify about a possible sale,” he said.
Risch met President Erdogan on September 21 in New York.
According to legal regulation, the US administration must inform Congress about the sale of F-16s to Turkey. Risch commented: “However, the lack of information means that some technical talks between Turkey and the United States are continuing.”
“THE REACTION OF THE UNITED STATES WILL BE STRONG”
Known as one of the most influential Republican senators in Congress, Risch said: “If a single American is killed in a military operation against Syria, Turkey’s relationship with Congress will be seriously damaged. “If Turkey launches a ground operation, the US response will be stronger than the response to the operation in 2019,” he said.
Risch also expressed disappointment that Turkey and Hungary did not approve Sweden’s and Finland’s membership in NATO, saying: “The protracted process weakens the unity of NATO in wartime.”