Hurriyet Daily News
March 7, 2022

US says F-16 sale to Turkey serves NATO interests in letter to Congress

The United States administration has underlined in a letter to the Congress that the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey would serve both U.S. and NATO security interests, particularly in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The Administration believes that there are nonetheless compelling long-term NATO alliance unity and capability interests, as well as U.S. national security, economic and commercial interests that are supported by appropriate U.S. defense trade ties with Turkey,” read a letter sent by Naz Durakoglu, the State Department’s top official for legislative affairs to Congressman Frank Pallone, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

According to the reports, the letter was sent to Pallone on March 17 as a reply to a correspondence by Pallone’s office on Febr. 4 that urged the Biden administration not to supply Turkey with the F-16 jets and modernization kits due to its deployment of S-400s and human rights violations.

Turkey had demanded to purchase 40 new F-16 jet fighters and around 80 modernization kits in a bid to keep its air fleet intact after it was excluded from the joint F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet program due to its deployment of Russian S-400 air defense systems.

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Daily Sabah
April 7, 2022

F-16 sales to Turkey to serve US, NATO interests: State Department

The Biden administration believes a potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to NATO ally Turkey would be in line with U.S. national security interests and would also serve NATO’s long-term unity, the U.S. State Department said in a letter to Congress that fell short of explicitly supporting the deal.

The letter comes after Turkey made a request in October to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said last month that negotiations with the U.S. were progressing positively.