US to host Turkish FM to discuss F-16 deal and Sweden’s NATO bid

Senior-level talks between Türkiye and US are set to start on January 18, with all eyes set on whether or not the highest diplomatic contact would yield constructive outcomes over the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets and Sweden’s bid to affix NATO.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Washington.

The two overseas ministers have met earlier than on the sidelines of NATO summits and United Nations conferences but it surely took the Biden administration virtually two years to increase an official invitation to Cavusoglu, a delay that many analysts say displays a strained relationship.

For Ankara, the US and its allies have turned a blind eye to Türkiye’s safety considerations and as a substitute performed a task in strengthening armed teams like YPG, which is the Syrian offshoot of PKK, a terror group within the eyes of the US, the EU, NATO and Türkiye.

Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, Syria coverage, power cooperation and regional safety points may also be on the agenda, US and Turkish officers mentioned.

Although the US has praised Türkiye for taking part in a task of a reputable mediator between Ukraine and Russia and making main breakthroughs just like the essential grain deal, Washington has proven disaffection with the character of Ankara-Moscow ties. 

Ties between the 2 NATO allies hit a low level, particularly when Türkiye acquired Russian missile defence methods in 2019. While Ankara insisted that it was a much-needed acquisition in mild of the looming border risk emanating from northern Syria, the place the US has armed the YPG terror group to its enamel, the US nonetheless went forward and eliminated Türkiye from the next-generation F-35 fighter jet program.

Türkiye now hopes to purchase F-16 jets from the US, a sale that some high members of Congress oppose regardless of help from the Biden administration.

READ MORE: Final US defence coverage invoice removes curbs on F-16 sale to Türkiye

Objection from Lawmakers 

A piece of influential US lawmakers continues to take a hawkish place towards Türkiye, disregarding its safety considerations. Proving to be a significant impediment within the potential Ankara-Washington F-16 deal, these lawmakers criticise the previous and impending Turkish cross-border operations towards the PKK/YPG presence in northern Syria.

PKK terror group has been preventing the Turkish state since 1984, leaving greater than 40,000 useless, together with girls and youngsters. 

Last summer time, the UN’s annual Children and Armed Conflict report revealed that the phobia group has been recruiting kids regardless of rights our bodies urging them to abstain from minor recruitments. 

Ankara’s refusal to ratify NATO membership of Sweden and Finland has turn into one other concern of competition that a few of the US lawmakers are exploiting to cease the F-16 deal from materialising. 

The two Nordic states utilized for NATO membership final yr following Russia’s offensive in Ukraine however their bids want approval from all 30 NATO member states. Türkiye and Hungary have but to endorse the purposes.

Türkiye raised objections, accusing the international locations of harbouring, even supporting the phobia teams. It mentioned Sweden, specifically, should first take a clearer stance towards these teams, primarily PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which is behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned on Monday the 2 international locations needed to deport or extradite as much as 130 “terrorists” to Türkiye earlier than parliament would approve their requests to affix NATO.

Dead finish?

Last week, the US State Department informally notified the committees overseeing arms gross sales within the US Senate and House of Representatives of its intention to proceed with the $20 billion sale of F-16s to Türkiye.

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, whose leaders assessment main overseas navy gross sales, is main the pack of critics. 

Menendez is at present dealing with a federal investigation over a spread of expenses, together with corruption, bribery and dishonesty. This is the second time Menendez has been probed for corruption. 

At a press convention on Saturday, Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish presidential spokesperson, mentioned Washington’s calls for regarding the provision of the fighter jets have been “endless.”

He added he hoped the F-16 deal wouldn’t turn into “hostage” to the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland.

“If the US is telling us that ‘You should ratify Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession to get F-16 jets from the US, this would lead us to a dead end,” deputy head of the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and ruling AK Party member Berat Conkar advised Reuters.

READ MORE: Türkiye desires to see ‘concrete steps’ from US on F-16 gross sales: Akar

Source: TRTWorld and businesses