Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, reiterated his opposition to the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

“I am still against the sale of the F-16. Turkey has not done enough to receive such a reward,” the New Jersey senator told ERT, who sent a message to the Erdogan government that it should stop its belligerent behavior towards Greece. At the same time, he clarifies that Congress did not give the green light to the modernization of Turkish F-16 missile systems, but to their interoperable communications.

When asked about the prospects for Greek-Turkish relations after the elections in Greece and Turkey, Mr. Menendez replied that “it will depend on the results of the elections”, adding that he has always seen that the Greek government wants to live peacefully with Turkey and that this is not “ it is not it that is violating Turkish airspace, it is not it that is invading Turkish territorial waters, it is not the belligerent ‘We will come one night’ style.”

“Hence, my guess is that Greece, no matter who is elected… I know, at least for the current prime minister, she had a positive attitude. She is admired in the US because she does not take a belligerent stance. This is not the case in Erdogan’s Turkey. Let’s see who gets elected in Turkey. But I hope that attitudes will change so that NATO allies are true allies of NATO, fulfilling not only security responsibilities, but also the principles and values ​​that NATO calls for, and living peacefully in the region. This will only lead to more prosperity and wealth,” emphasizes Mr. Menendez.