Menendez: "I don't believe Turkey deserves to buy the F-16s"

The Chairman of the US Senate’s Committee on International Relations, Senator Bob Menendez, criticised Turkey during a Senate hearing for its violations of basic human rights, the waters and airspace of Greece and Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and delaying NATO enlargement.

As such, he said, Turkey does not deserve to buy the F-16s – part of the $20b arms package the Joe Biden administration is trying to sell to Turkey.

Menendez asked the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a hearing: “What do you call a country, which violates the airspace and territorial waters of another country without prior provocation? Who exercises in the EEZ of another country? Who is buying Russian military equipment in violation of US law? Which has more lawyers and journalists in jail than almost any other country and jails its main political opponent before an election? Which seeks by force to block the rights of an EU member state to research on its continental shelf? Which has not only not joined the EU sanctions against Russia, but has exported about $800 million worth of goods to Russia? What do you call such a country?” he asked Blinken, who responded: “A challenging ally.”

Menendez replied “I call that country Turkey”, before adding: "I don't believe Turkey deserves to buy the F-16s."

The exchange was held during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the State Department's 2024 budget request.

Referring specifically to Cyprus, Menendez asked Blinken what he calls a country “which continues to occupy an EU country; with 40,000 troops and in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and seeking to open up an area frozen by the United Nations? That denies religious freedom to the religious leader of millions of citizens of the Greek Orthodox faith?”

He also made a reference to Hagia Sophia, saying that Turkey converted a church into a mosque in violation of UNESCO commitments.

(Source: CNA)