Raptakis questions timing of decision by while Turkey still refuses to support sanctions on Russia and continues Eastern Mediterranean aggression against Cyrus, Greece, Israel while still in possession of the Russian made S-400 missile system.
Rhode Island State Senator Lou Raptakis is asking all 14 Hellenic-American State Senators and 24 State Representatives from around the country to call on Congress to reject a recommendation by the Trump administration to allow the reinstatement of the sale of fifth generation Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets to Turkey to upgrade their air force.
Raptakis questioned the timing of the move, with especially in light of the fact that Turkey is refusing to join with the US and NATO countries in sanctioning Russia for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and still in possession of the Russian S-400 missile system the only NATO country do so.
“It’s unconscionable that the Trump administration is requesting the approval of this deal when Turkey is turning its back on supporting our efforts to stop Russian aggression in Ukraine and create unstable conditions in the Eastern Meditterrean,” said Raptakis. “To reward Turkey now with the sale of new fighter jets would be a horrible mistake.”
In July of 2019, Turkey was expelled from the F-35 fighter jet program under the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) after the Erdogan regime accepted delivery of the Russian S-400 missile system. Raptakis argues that Turkey’s behavior has only gotten worse and there is no compelling reason for the United States to reward a nation that is undermining U.S. security interests in the region and threatening NATO allies.
“Turkey has been a destabilizing force in the Eastern Mediterranean, seeking to intimidate its neighbors and playing the role of chaos agent in the region,” said Raptakis. “The Erdogan regime has violated a United Nations arms embargo in Libya, deployed its troops in Syria, undermined U.S. security interests and the proposed Turkey–Libya memoranda of the 2019 accord, long criticized by Greece, and others for running afoul of established delimitation norms south of Crete overlapping contested waters and creating the most ridiculous Turkish continental shelf ever in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
The Turkish President is meeting with President Trump this week to make his case for a reversal of U.S. policy that expelled Turkey from the F-35 production and sales program in 2019 during the first Trump administration. At that time, Turkey had disregarded U.S. concerns about its decision to purchase the Russian S-400 defense missile system, which the U.S. and NATO rightfully saw as a threat.
Since that time, the Erdogan regime has continued to engage in reckless behavior, disregarding U.S. interests and creating significant security disruptions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Simply put, there is no reason to reward the Turkish government with upgrades to its military capacity when its leadership has been more than willing to act in a manner that threatens regional stability.
“It is very important that the State Hellenic-American legislators contact their colleagues in Congress and express their opposition to any effort to change Turkey’s status in the F-35 program. This is a matter which would possibly require Congressional action and the Hellenic-American state legislators urge their members in Washington to reject Erdogan’s latest effort to be treated like an American ally when he has been content to challenge our interests at every turn.”
Raptakis concluded, “We need to see a sustained commitment by the Turkish government to stop playing the role of chaos agent in the region before providing them with additional tools to continue their aggressive actions.” Individual State legislators will also forward letters to their United States Senators and members of Congress especially members of the Foreign Relations committee in their respective chambers in opposition to the reinstatement in the F-35 program.
