In troubled US-Turkey relations, F-16 deal seen as path for dialogue
US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Sunday to discuss an F-16 fighter jet purchase, which analysts see as an avenue for “positive” dialogue amid bilateral tensions.
ISTANBUL — Following several scheduling changes, US President Joe Biden and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome Sunday to discuss the nations’ troubled tensions.
High on Erdogan’s agenda was a request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and about 80 modernization kits to upgrade Turkey’s aging fleet. Erdogan said Sunday Biden was receptive in discussions regarding the jet deal and they talked in a “positive atmosphere.”
