US President Joe Biden’s administration has agreed to the sale of F-16 fighter jets worth $23 billion to Turkey. The government formally notified Congress of this on Friday, after Ankara this week agreed to Sweden’s accession to NATO. International news agencies report this.
The Foreign Ministry sent the notification to greenlight the sale of 40 F-16s to Turkey a day after Ankara fully completed the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership with the signature of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The aircraft will be supplied by the American Lockheed Martin.
The Biden administration also agreed to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets worth $8.6 billion to Greece, in an effort to strike a balance between two member states of the military alliance with traditionally tense relations.
Big obstacle
Turkey submitted the request for the devices in October 2021. The delay in Ankara’s approval of Sweden’s request to join NATO was a major obstacle to gaining congressional approval for the sale. The issue also tested relations between Washington and Ankara.
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Turkish parliament approves Sweden’s accession to NATO
On Tuesday evening, the Turkish parliament ratified Sweden’s accession. Biden then wrote a letter to top congressional committee leaders urging them to quickly approve the sale of the F-16s. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced Friday that he agreed.
Following the transmission of the formal notification by the State Department, Congress has fifteen days to object to the sale, after which it is considered final. U.S. officials do not expect Congress to block the transactions.