Greek-American Representatives Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Mike Haridopolos (FL-8) and Jimmy Patronis (FL-1) have raised serious concerns in a joint statement over a proposed U.S. military sale Turkey.
Their intervention follows an official notification reportedly received by Congress from the Trump administration regarding its intention to approve the sale of engines worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Turkey.
Bipartisan opposition for U.S. military sale to Turkey
The engines, produced by General Electric, are believed to be destined for Turkey’s first indigenous combat jet KAAN, according to Reuters. However, U.S. Vice President JD Vance indicated on Wednesday that a review was underway to see how the United States could also sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, given Ankara’s 2019 acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defense systems.
Earlier in June, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that the Trump administration currently lacks the legal authority to restore Turkey to the F-35 fighter jet program, citing statutory restrictions stemming from Ankara’s acquisition of S-400.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, also joined by Malliotakis, has additionally called for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government to be denied the US military equipment ahead of a NATO summit in early July.
Asked on Wednesday about the jet engines, the F-35 program, and his plans for the summit in Ankara, Trump said: “I’m going to probably do something that will make them very happy.”
Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a statement Wednesday, saying that the Trump administration was going to “once again bypass Congressional review for more than $700 million in defense articles to the Turkish military in yet another deeply troubling example of this administration’s open contempt for Congress’s oversight authority,” the New York Post reports.
Greek-American lawmakers warn on U.S. military sale to Turkey
In a joint statement issued on Friday, Greek-American lawmakers Bilirakis, Malliotakis, Haridopoulos and Patronis said that, as Greek American Members of Congress, they are deeply concerned regarding the reports of a proposed military sale of jet engines to Turkey.
“Turkey continues to be a destabilizing force in the region through its expansive and disputed maritime claims, continued illegal occupation of Cyprus, and rhetorical demonization of Israel,” the statement reads.
“The Eastern Mediterranean region holds significant potential to become a beacon of commercial opportunity, energy cooperation, and regional security, an effort we have actively supported through legislation and engagement, but Turkey’s rhetoric and actions increasingly threaten these efforts, key American allies, and regional stability,” the signing lawmakers continue.
“For example, Turkey’s harboring of Hamas and position as the only NATO member to refuse sanctions against Russia is deeply troubling,” they add.
In concluding the statement, the four of them declare that they are actively engaging with the Administration and House leadership to obtain additional information regarding this reported sale and to express their strong opposition to any prospect of Turkey’s reintegration into the F-35 program without complete compliance with CAATSA requirements.
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