US positive on Turkey’s bid to purchase 40 F-16s: Erdoğan

ANKARA

The Biden administration is positive on Turkey’s request to buy 40 F-16 warplanes after it was excluded from the F-35 joint fighter jet program, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, informing the process will be followed by the defense ministers of the two allied nations.

“While I have observed a positive attitude from Mr. [President Joe] Biden on this issue [the sale of F-16s], another aspect of the issue is the House of Representatives and the Senate. I have told him that we are expecting his attention on this matter as he has weight on both the House of Representatives and the Senate,” Erdoğan told a press conference after the G20 Summit in Rome late Oct. 31.

Erdoğan held around one-hour meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the summit to discuss a wide range of issues, including Turkey’s recent request of purchasing 40 F-16 warplanes and 80 modernization kits for its existing fleets. Turkey officially made the request in a bid to keep its air forces intact after it was excluded from the F-35 joint fighter jet program due to its deployment of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems.

Erdoğan recalled that Turkey paid $1.4 billion to the F-35 program and said he discussed with Biden how to move forward on the defense industry cooperation. “The issue of modernizing the F-16s we have or giving new F-16s came to the fore [during the meeting with Biden]. Our defense ministers are following the process,” he said.

A White House statement released after the meeting said, “President Biden reaffirmed our defense partnership and Turkey’s importance as a NATO Ally, but noted U.S. concerns over Turkey’s possession of the Russian S-400 missile system.”

Biden will do his best

Speaking to the reporters on his return from Rome, Erdoğan further elaborated on his conversation with Biden, who told him that the authorization of the sale of F-16s might take time. During the meeting, Biden said, “We may not get results very soon. You know it [the authorization] goes through two different chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate. [The balance] is 50-50 there, but I will do my best,” Erdoğan noted. “I believe that you will succeed, and I see that you have your weight on this issue,” Erdoğan replied to Biden, adding the purchase of 40 warplanes and modernization of the existing jets will be on the topic between the two nations.

US support to YPG

On a question at a press conference, Erdoğan said he conveyed Turkey’s regrets over the continued support of the U.S. to the YPG/PYD/PKK in northern Syria. “We have also stressed that these could tarnish our solidarity. We have underlined the need for our foreign ministers to remain in closer contact over all these issues,” he stated, expressing his hope that this support will not continue in the same way in the coming period.

Speaking to the reporters on board later, Erdoğan reiterated that Turkey can take security measures against the terrorist activities in northern Syria. “No step back from this. It’s impossible for us to abandon our fight against terror,” he said.

A NATO ally should not support the terror organizations, Erdoğan said, adding they agreed with Biden to continue to work on this matter.

Taliban’s actions will determine road map

Erdoğan said they also discussed the developments in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover of the entire country, saying the road map to be followed will be determined by the developments in the field, especially by the actions of the Taliban.

“The Taliban is holding talks with us and our embassy in Afghanistan. Time will show what steps will be taken accordingly. How inclusive will be the new administration? What attitude they will adopt concerning the education of the women?” he stated.

On a question about the formation of a joint mechanism for ties, Erdoğan said it would focus on economic and trade ties with more frequent meetings between the treasury ministries of both sides. This venue aims to increase the bilateral trade volume to $100 billion, he added.

Erdoğan discusses Libya with Macron

Erdoğan held other bilateral meetings during the summit in Rome. He met French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her potential successor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Indonesia President Joko Widodo.

Informing that Macron is exerting efforts for holding a summit on Libya in Paris, Erdoğan said he clarified his views about the French president’s invitation. “Well, there is an effort to hold a conference equivalent to the Berlin Conference. The Berlin Conference was held. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to hold a similar meeting here again,” he said. Erdoğan said he offered a close study of the situation by the two countries’ foreign ministers before taking a step.

Erdoğan said he also discussed a recent defense agreement France signed with Greece. “I have openly shared our concerns. Because we have no hidden agenda. We believe it is always useful to discuss everything in an open way,” he stated.

Erdoğan skips Glasgow summit due to protocol deficiencies

Responding to a question about why he did not go to Glasgow to attend the COP26 Climate Summit, Erdoğan said the authorities failed to provide necessary security conditions Turkey has demanded.

“These were the routine protocol standards that were always applied to us and to all other leaders on all our international visits. However, we were told at the last moment that these could not be met. We later learned that the standards in our rejected request could exceptionally be provided for another country. It didn’t conform to diplomatic customs, either. We could not accept this,” he said.