The Takeaway: Turkey’s F-16 deal proves hard sell in Congress
Plus, imprisoned American Siamak Namazi launches a hunger strike in Iran, and Iraq repatriates hundreds from northeast Syria's Al-Hol camp.
“We expect the approval.” That was the message Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu delivered to Washington on Wednesday as the Biden administration prepares to seek Congress’ greenlight for a potential $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
"The administration should not waste such an important deal between two allies just because one person or a few people are blocking it. It should not bow down,” Cavusoglu told reporters after his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The possible sale of F-16s has been met with resistance in Congress, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned by Ankara’s slide toward authoritarianism under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and its refusal to approve Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids.
Last week, the State Department informally notified US lawmakers it would seek their approval for the prospective sale, which would reportedly include 40 new F-16s and 79 upgrade kits for Turkey's existing fleet of the Lockheed Martin-made jets. The proposed arms sale, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is in the informal review period, during which members of Congress can request briefings from the administration and raise any objections.
