Turkey may block Sweden and Finland from joining NATO until their 'price' has been paid
Erdogan submitted a request for new F-16 planes with the Biden administration in October 2021, but that request has remained pending. A State Department letter on the matter from March 2022 indicated that the sale of F-16s would potentially fall in-line with U.S. national security interests, according to Reuters.
"The Administration believes that there are nonetheless compelling long-term NATO alliance unity and capability interests, as well as U.S. national security, economic and commercial interests that are supported by appropriate U.S. defense trade ties with Turkey," the letter said."The proposed sale will require a Congressional notification if the Department of State were to approve it," it added.
Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute, told The New York Times that Erdogan would likely try to obtain promises for F-16s at the NATO summit in June. Turkey frequently uses military contracts to help build political ties: In addition to the Russian S-400 purchase in 2019, which created stronger ties with Russia, Turkey recently announced the launch of a Turkish-built corvette for the Pakistan Navy.
Erdogan said that the ship represented Turkey's commitment to support and strengthen Pakistan's military infrastructure, the Daily Sabah reported. Turkey and Pakistan signed a deal in 2018 to deliver four Ada class ships from Turkish state-owned defense firm ASFAT. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Could Turkey be expelled from NATO over blocking Finland, Sweden?Turkey's hard stance against Finland and Sweden's bid for membership has revived doubts over whether the country truly belongs to NATO.
Read more »
Russia Prepares To Cut Gas Supplies To Finland Days After NATO ApplicationI am a London-based reporter for Forbes covering breaking news. Previously, I have worked as a reporter for a specialist legal publication covering big data and as a freelance journalist and policy analyst covering science, tech and health. I have a master’s degree in Biological Natural Sciences and a master’s degree in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. Follow me on Twitter theroberthart or email me at rhartforbes.com
Read more »
Russian State TV says Ukraine war is 'rehearsal' for conflict with NATOA panelist said on a show on Russia-1—a channel that has relentlessly pushed Kremlin propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine—that Russia can learn from the war for 'future conflicts.'
Read more »
Ukraine Foreign Minister Says NATO ‘Has Done Nothing’ to HelpDespite NATO member states contributing millions in aid and machinery, Ukraine’s foreign minister says the organization “has done nothing to help during this time'
Read more »
Erdogan: Türkiye in talks with Western leaders over Nordic NATO bidsPresident Erdogan tells British PM Johnson that Türkiye’s opposition to Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership is due to their support for internationally recognised terror group PKK and its affiliates
Read more »