...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
despite Joe
The Big GuyBiden
...46th president of the U.S. We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created ... by the — you know — you know, the thing...
administration’s announcement that it wants to move forward with the deal.
In January, the Biden administration announced its intention to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey for $20 billion. The sale also includes 80 modernization kits. Senator Menendez, at the time, said in a statement that he "strongly" opposes the proposal, adding that
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
disregarded human rights
One man's rights are another man's existential threat.
and got involved in "alarming and destabilizing behavior in Turkey and against neighboring NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
allies."
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told news hounds "President Biden has been clear consistently that he believes that, for the alliance and for the US-Turkey bilateral relationship, moving forward with the sale makes sense. Biden intends move forward with that transfer in consultation with Congress."
"I’ve always said that the ratification of Sweden, which should naturally occur, is not the sine qua non of why I would lift the hold on F-16s," Menendez said. "There’s bigger issues than just that alone."
On July 11, Menendez said: "We’re having conversations with the administration. If they (Biden administration) can find a way to ensure that Turkey’s aggression against its neighbors ceases, which there has been a lull the last several months, that’s great but there has to be a permanent reality."
Turkey has launched several aggressions against the neighbor, Syria, mainly the northern cities including Afrin, Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) where it occupied them following two separate military operations dubbed "Olive Branch" and "Peace Spring". Additionally, it continues launching drone attacks against all the cities and towns of northern Syria and Iraq.
In April, Menendez was referring to a recent $259 million deal with Turkey for avionics software upgrades. The approval does not concern the $20 billion request from Turkey for new F-16s and nearly 80 upgrade kits.
"I’m opposed to F-16s, but this is not a sale of F-16s," Menendez told Defense News after the State Department approved the avionics kit sale. "It’s a sale to ensure the interoperability of existing aircraft in the NATO command structure, and for that reason I support it."