Türkiye wants 'unconditional completion' of F-16 deal with US

 Photo: AA/File

Türkiye's presidential spokesperson and the US national security adviser discussed bilateral issues and global developments in a phone call yesterday (October 17).

İbrahim Kalın and Jake Sullivan exchanged views on the sale of new F-16 jets to Türkiye, the Ukraine war, developments in the Aegean and Mediterranean, and other regional issues, according to a statement by the Presidency.

Kalın conveyed Türkiye's expectations regarding the "unconditional completion of the approval process of the F-16 procurement and modernization request by the US Congress," the statement said.

In a recent development welcomed by Ankara, two amendments making potential F-16 sales to Türkiye contingent on a series of conditions were removed from the Senate version of the relevant bill.

For about a year, Türkiye has pressed the US to buy more F-16 jets and modernization kits in a move that came after its exclusion from the F-35 program because of its purchase of S-400 surface-to-air missiles from Russia.

The US House in July approved a legislation that would prohibit the sale or transfer of F-16s and modernization kits to Ankara unless the president certifies the transfer is in the US's national interests, and guarantees to Congress that in the 120 days prior to the transfer the Turkish government has not "violated the sovereignty of Greece, including through territorial overflights."

The Senate on October 11 removed both conditions from the bill.

US President Joe Biden has supported selling F-16s to Türkiye. 

The Ukraine war

On the Ukraine war, Kalın emphasized the need for concerted diplomatic efforts to mitigate the damage that the conflict has inflicted on peace and stability worldwide, as well as the global economy and energy and food security.

He reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to continue its diplomatic initiatives, including an extension to the İstanbul agreement on Ukrainian grain shipments that expires in November. (VK)