The Turkish Parliament may ratify Sweden’s application to join NATO, depending on the US administration’s decision regarding the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated this to journalists, as reported by The Guardian.
During a conversation with media representatives upon his return from Azerbaijan, Erdogan mentioned that the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, discussed Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership application in New York last week.
According to Erdogan, the US administration links the decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey with Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s application.
The President of Turkey also mentioned that the decision regarding the F-16s may be influenced by the scandal surrounding US Senator Bob Menendez, who was one of the main opponents of such a deal, as reported by Anadolu.
At the same time, as the agency claims, Erdogan emphasized that Sweden’s NATO application and Turkey’s purchase of the F-16s are ‘not linked’ and remain at the discretion of the Turkish parliament.
Ankara requested F-16 fighter jets from the United States in October 2021. The $6 billion deal included the sale of 40 aircraft as well as upgrade kits for 79 combat planes already in service with the Turkish Air Force. However, the possibility of such a deal in the US Congress was subject to a series of requirements, including Ankara’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership application.
On September 17, Erdogan stated that Sweden had ‘not fulfilled its promise to Turkey’ and therefore would not receive Turkey’s support for NATO membership.
Turkey and Hungary remain the only NATO countries that have not ratified Sweden’s application for NATO membership.