One of the main sources of tension and misunderstanding between the US and Turkey will soon be resolved: In a statement issued on Friday, January 26, the US State Department announced that it had formally approved the sale of 40 F-16 fighter jets and the modernization of 76 other similar aircraft that are already part of the Turkish fleet.
The $23 billion contract had been the subject of bitter negotiations for the past year. The lifting of Turkey's opposition to Sweden's NATO accession has finally convinced recalcitrant senators in the US Congress − who in principle have 30 days to express their positions − and President Biden's administration to settle this major dispute with an ally as crucial as it is unpredictable and wayward.
According to the US State Department, the contract will enable Ankara to ensure "the defense of its airspace, contribute to NATO missions to preserve regional security and defend NATO Allies, and maintain interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces."
At the same time, the US approved another large-scale delivery of 40 F-35 fighter jets – worth $8.6 billion – to Greece, Turkey's historic regional rival. In addition, Greece will acquire "a very large package of equipment for free, which decisively strengthens all three branches of the armed forces, as well as the Hellenic Coast Guard," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement. The equipment includes frigates, two C-130 transport aircraft, tanks and armored vehicles.
For many months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – in a stance copied by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – had been blocking Sweden's accession to NATO. The Turkish parliament gave the accession the go-ahead on January 23, following protracted multilateral negotiations over political and military concerns. Hungary has been left as the only NATO member to continue to block the process, with Orban apparently determined to obtain concessions of his own.
In May 2022, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in the wake of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Turkey, however, accused the two countries of assisting Kurdish activists on their own soil, who would be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey considers to be a terrorist organization. Stockholm was also suspected of Islamophobia. On April 4, 2023, Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO, yet the door had yet to be opened to Sweden.
In addition to these security issues − which were essentially aimed at his appealing to his domestic audience − the reward that Erdogan sought from Washington, in a stunning form of blackmail between allies, was the modernization of Turkey's air fleet.
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