Ankara expects smooth supply of F-16s - Cavusoglu

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has reiterated Ankara’s expectation over the smooth supply of 40 new F-16s and 79 modernization kits for the existing fleets from the United States, saying that the matter waits for the approval of Congress, News.az reports citing Daily News.

“The U.S. Department of Defense forwarded it to the State Department. The administration informally notified Congress through the State Department. It is reported to the heads of the Foreign Relations Committee and the most experienced member of both wings,” Cavusoglu said at a press conference with Bosnian Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic on Jan. 16.

If Congress does not object to the demand of U.S. President Joe Biden, the process will finalize, Cavusoglu said, noting that there is a 51 percent possibility that Congress will reject the president’s request. If so, the president can resend his request, and in that case, the request could only be rejected by a two-thirds majority, he added.

Pointing out that this scenario has not been seen very often in U.S. political history, Cavusoglu said, “Especially a senator constantly raises his objections. But you know that the previously submitted amendments have been cleared. We expect it to pass smoothly.”

Cavusoglu underlined that Türkiye does not want the procurement under conditions.

News.az

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