Turkiye’s foreign minister pressured the United States to follow through on a pledge to sell F-16 fighter jets to the country in a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, an anonymous Turkish diplomatic source told US media on Wednesday.
The United States allegedly initiated the call the day after a Turkish parliamentary commission voted in favor of approving Sweden’s entry into NATO. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan took advantage of the opportunity Wednesday to make the request to Blinken, citing Tukiye’s status as a US ally in NATO.
“Fidan stated that, regarding the sale of F-16s, we expect the US administration and US Congress to act in line with the spirit of alliance and keep the promises made,” the source explained.
Turkiye has repeatedly held up the approval of Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership bids, attempting to extract concessions regarding the extradition of people the country considers terrorists, among other demands. The Turkish parliament’s general assembly still must approve Sweden’s NATO ascension in order for it to move forward, raising the prospect that the process could still be delayed if new tensions emerge between Turkiye and other NATO members.
New countries require the unanimous approval of NATO member states in order to formally join the military alliance.
The $20 billion sale of the 40 jets to Ankara may face opposition from backers of Israel in the US Congress; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made waves in recent months with his strong criticism of the country’s military campaign in Gaza.
Meanwhile it was reported in October that four key US legislators serving roles related to foreign affairs were wavering on the sale, citing human rights issues among other concerns.