US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the US is willing to meet the defense needs of Turkey, an important NATO ally, regarding the sale of F-16s to Turkey. On the other hand, the Greek journalist Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said yesterday that they will attack Greece. Will you allow this?’ Price on the question ‘We want any dispute between our NATO allies to be resolved diplomatically’ made the statement.
F-16 SALE: OUR SECURITY COOPERATION IS IMPORTANT TO US
Making evaluations at the daily press conference, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price was asked to remove the restrictive conditions for F-16 sales to Turkey from the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which also includes the defense budget.
Price replied to the question as follows:
“Of course, Turkey is an important NATO ally, an important security partner. We want to integrate our defense capabilities and provide what Turkey needs to deal with the formidable threats it faces. No NATO ally has ever been subjected to more terrorist attacks on its soil than our Turkish allies. Therefore, our cooperation in the field of security is of great importance to us.”
Stating that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Joe Biden discussed this issue when they met at the NATO Summit in Madrid in the summer, Price noted that there were also discussions at lower levels and that the US State Department spoke to the Congress about this issue.
When a journalist in the Greek media asked New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, who is known for his closeness to the Greek and Armenian lobbies, that he would prevent F-16 sales to Turkey, Price said that Turkey is an important NATO partner and that it is the country that faces the most threats in NATO. said that.
“Of course we are trying to ensure that Turkey has the defense capabilities it needs to maintain its role as a key NATO ally,” Price said. used the phrase.
GREEK JOURNALIST’S QUESTION ABOUT ‘TURKEY’
Greek journalist: “Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said yesterday that they will attack Greece. Will you allow this?” In response to his claim, Price said, “We want any dispute between our NATO allies to be resolved diplomatically. Greece is an important ally. Turkey is an important ally.” gave the answer.
WHAT DID MINISTER ÇAVUŞOĞLU SAY?
Speaking at the joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart, Aurescu, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said, “Either Greece takes a step back, abides by the agreements or we do what is necessary. “Greece doesn’t really want peace because it violates peace agreements,” he said.
Source: AA