WASHINGTON ― Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent the ratification protocols for Sweden’s NATO accession to parliament this week, nevertheless it’s unclear whether that’s enough to lock down the $20 billion sale for 40 recent F-16s that Ankara seeks.
That’s since the 4 key U.S. lawmakers who would want to greenlight the Block 70 F-16 fighter jets to Turkey are voicing concerns about other issues unrelated to Sweden’s NATO accession.
The chairs and rating members of the foreign affairs committees in each the Senate and House can unilaterally place holds on arms sales. And as of immediately, at the least two of them won’t commit to signing off on the sale just yet.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., told reporters Thursday he’s pleased to see Turkey moving positively on Sweden’s NATO bid, noting “it’s clear that they’d to get this done before we’d consider arms sales.”
“But there are other issues that we evaluate on arms sales,” Cardin added. “Using the weapons systems, the human rights issues and concerns that now we have. So there are other issues that we’ll be taking a look at.”
“But I don’t want to offer any signals immediately because we haven’t had those conversations with the administration,” he said. “I first need to hear from the administration.”
The U.S. State Department has yet to formally notify Congress of the Turkey F-16 sale, but national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in July that the Biden administration would move forward with the deal after Erdogan agreed to lift his hold on Sweden’s NATO membership.
The office of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, R-Texas, didn’t reply to a request for comment by press time.
A spokesperson for Rep. Gregory Meeks of Latest York, the highest Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the rating member “looks forward to the Turkish parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession, in addition to the cessation of attacks on U.S. partners within the region, cooperation on countering illicit Russian financial flows and a de-escalation of tensions within the Aegean.”
“The transmission of those protocols alone has not modified his position, and he hopes they’re immediately ratified and progress is made on all these issues,” Meeks’ spokesperson said.
Turkish airstrikes have bombarded civilian infrastructure in Kurdish-held northeast Syria, cutting of water and electricity throughout much of the world. The Turkish strikes have killed at the least 218 civilians, in line with the Kurdish-led administration, which is backed by roughly 900 U.S. troops stationed in Syria.
Turkey launched its latest campaign against northeast Syria earlier this month after a bunch linked to the Kurdistan Staff’ Party, or PKK, attacked the Interior Ministry in Ankara, injuring two officers. The PKK is affiliated with the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria.
Turkey has previously used American-made F-16s it owns during its prior aerial attacks in northeast Syria. Turkey also stationed F-16s in Azerbaijan through the 2020 war with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan won that war, and greater than 100,000 Armenians fled the world in September, a move Armenia has described as ethnic cleansing.
Asked by Defense News about Turkey’s actions in Syria and Azerbaijan, Sen. James Risch of Idaho — the highest Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — said he has concerns. Nonetheless, he added, he should still give the greenlight for the F-16s should Turkey ratify Sweden’s NATO membership.
Risch told reporters the Biden administration has not reached out to Congress since Erdogan submitted the ratification protocols to parliament, but said: “I don’t think they actually need to since now we have had long, detailed conversations about that. Everybody knows what the parameters were.”
While the F-16 sale still hangs within the balance, Turkey’s most important obstacle to the deal is not any longer an element. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., lost his position as chairman of the foreign relations panel after the Justice Department unveiled a corruption indictment against him in September — the second of his political profession. As such, Menendez has lost his authority to unilaterally delay arms sales.
Menendez had vowed to carry the F-16 sale even when Turkey ratifies Sweden’s NATO accession, citing a litany of other issues. Certainly one of his most outstanding concerns was Turkey’s repeated incursions into the airspace of fellow NATO ally Greece and its ongoing occupation of northern Cyprus.
The Latest Jersey Democrat has pleaded not guilty to charges indicating he accepted bribes from Egypt and in turn lobbied his Senate colleagues not to chop or condition U.S. military aid to Cairo. Menendez stays within the Senate and is seated on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Bryant Harris is the Congress reporter for Defense News. He has covered U.S. foreign policy, national security, international affairs and politics in Washington since 2014. He has also written for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera English and IPS News.