50+ U.S. lawmakers tell White House to stop sale of F-16s to Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - A bipartisan group of over 50 U.S. Representatives joined Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Hellenic Caucus Co-Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in pressing the U.S. Departments of State and Defense to block the sale of next-generation U.S. F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits to Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly hostile regime, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“We strongly urge you to reject Turkey’s request for new F-16s and modernization kits and take immediate action to hold the Erdogan regime accountable,” states the February 4th Congressional letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

“The United States must not provide any further support to Turkey’s military until President Erdogan takes tangible steps to halt his destabilizing actions and violations of international law at home and abroad. Precedent shows that he will not change his behavior until the United States uses all its diplomatic tools, including targeted economic sanctions.”

The Congressional action has broad support from a growing coalition of U.S. ethnic, faith-based, and foreign policy groups concerned about the U.S. security implications of arming Erdogan with cutting-edge U.S. military technology while Turkey remains under sanctions for their purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system and amid worsening government crackdowns on Turkish civil society.