AMN / WEB DESK
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said that the Biden administration supports the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye. He also expressed confidence that both Sweden and Finland will soon join the NATO alliance.
The U.S. Congress must approve the $20 billion F-16 sale, which includes a Turkish request for 40 jets and nearly 80 modernization kits.
Blinken said during a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara that he could not provide a timeline on formally notifying Congress about the proposed sale, but that he has been actively communicating the Biden administration’s support for the deal.
“This is very important for ongoing NATO interoperability and in the national security of the United States,” Blinken said.
He met later Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The visit comes as Turkey and Hungary remain the only NATO members that have not approved Sweden and Finland joining the alliance in a process that must be unanimous.
Blinken said the United States supports the admission of Sweden and Finland “as soon as possible.”
He said he is “confident that NATO will formally welcome them soon, and when that happens, it will enhance the security of every NATO member, including the United States, including Turkey.”
Turkey has expressed security concerns regarding Sweden, saying it has been too lenient toward groups that Turkey considers terror organizations. Cavusoglu said all parties need to convince Sweden to address those concerns.