Their serious concern about the possible acquisition of additional S-400 from Turkeyexpress in a letter they sent to their foreign minister USA, Anthony Blinken, 18 US congressmen. Congressman Chris Papas, who played a leading role in the NDAA for the F-16, also coordinated this new effort.

In their letter, the deputies speak of a flagrant violation of US law, and also warn of security threats associated with the possible co-deployment of upgraded F-16 fighters with S-400s. In this regard, American MPs are asking Anthony Blinken to update over the next month on the status of negotiations with Turkey on F-16 fighter jets, as well as on the measures taken by the State Department to ensure that there is no security breach. risks, and that US-Turkish defense cooperation will be fully compliant with US law.

For his part, Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) Executive Director Eddy Zemenidis, who coordinates No Aircraft for Turkey coalition initiatives, expressed the coalition’s satisfaction with the Congressional initiative. This coalition includes Jewish, Armenian, Kurdish and Christian organizations.

“Congress has once again taken the lead on the issue of US-Turkish defense relations. While the Biden administration has not yet moved forward with the modernization and sale of the F-16, it also does not send the right signals to Turkey and does not allow the Erdogan administration to move forward with the impression that the US is retreating from the S-400. Fortunately, Congress is constantly coming back and making it clear that the upgrade and sale cannot continue without certain conditions,” said Eddie Zemenidis.

Letter from US congressmen:

“We are writing to express our concern over reports that Turkey is considering a further acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system. Twenty months after Turkey was sanctioned under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the Erdogan government has not only failed to comply with CAATSA’s demands, but has now made it clear that it intends to commit a still egregious violation of the law.

As noted in the letter we sent to you on November 1, 2021, one of the reasons Congress pushed for Turkey’s removal from the F-35 program was the significant risks associated with co-deployment of the S-400 and F-35. Experts point out that providing Turkey with upgraded F-16s carries similar risks if Ankara continues to own Russian S-400s. The (purchase) of additional S-400s will further increase the risks associated with collocation. We found these risks unacceptable in November and even more unacceptable today.

As Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine continues, we cannot allow a NATO member to enter into military cooperation with Vladimir Putin’s regime. This undermines US policy in Ukraine, regional peace and stability, and the very desire for unity in the NATO alliance (desire), which the State Department presented to Congress as the reason for the modernization and sale of F-16s to Turkey.

During the approval hearing, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake said Turkey would face additional CAATSA sanctions if it acquired additional Russian weapons systems. This is no longer a hypothetical question, and Turkey’s continued violation of not only US laws but also the expectations of a NATO ally should be addressed immediately.

Under the current circumstances, we must reiterate our objection to upgrading or selling new F-16s to Turkey. We ask for updates within the next 30 days on the status of F-16 talks with Turkey, how co-deployment issues will be handled, especially in light of additional S-400s, which will exacerbate our concerns. —and what steps the administration is taking to ensure that the US-Turkish defense relationship is in line with CAATSA and other issues of concern to Congress. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and we look forward to hearing from you.”

^{Source: APE-MEB}