International Military - The polemic between Turkey and the US seems to be continuing to this day. It is known, Turkey demands that the US change its decision and provide a solution. This is related to Turkey's stalled supply program for the F-35 stealth fighter.
The Middle Eastern country demands two things, change the decision or return the money already paid. "As for the F-35, Congress needs to reconsider its decision. We said change the decision or return the money we invested," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday, quoted by the Eurasian Times.
As is known, Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program for buying Russian S-400 missiles. This problem has not yet come to light.
Quoted from Airforce Magazine, the US Congress also blocked the transfer of six F-35s even though Turkey had invested the money. "This agreement is positive if it is ultimately reached," said Kadir Ustun, executive director of the SETA Foundation, a Washington think tank funded by private Turkish donations. "Turkey will feel reassured, and will not need to turn to a third country for the fighter jet because it is no longer in the F-35 program."
Turkey has had an intermittent defense sales relationship with the United States in recent years. Turkey fielded its F-16 fleet but was denied the right to buy the Reaper a decade ago.
When the US withdrew its Patriot missile system from Turkey in 2015, a deal could not be reached to sell the American air defense system to Turkey. That's when Russia stepped in and offered the S-400.
NATO allies balked at the idea that Russian engineers could take control of the S-400 while studying the F-35's vulnerabilities. The US feels that the S-400 cannot be operated with its proud fighter jet. However, Turkey is stubborn.
The country went ahead with the purchase, securing Russia's most advanced $2.5 billion radar and missile defense system in 2019. Ultimately, this triggered the mechanism that ultimately kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program.
On the other hand, Turkey cannot tolerate this. According to the Eurasian Times, Turkey's longtime foe, Greece, is getting closer to the US. Earlier, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he would soon begin negotiations with Washington over the acquisition of the F-35 stealth fighter.
This is known to be part of efforts to bolster the armed forces of Greece and NATO's eastern and southeastern wings. "We are about to launch the process of acquiring a squadron of F-35 aircraft, and we look forward to adding this fantastic aircraft to the Greek Air Force before the end of the decade," Mitsotakis said at a White House reception hosted by US President Joe Biden on Monday.
Mitsotakis noted that bilateral relations between Athens and Washington are currently at their highest level. In particular, the Greek navy and NATO forces have cooperated at naval bases at Souda Bay in Crete and at the port of Alexandroupolis, which lies about 500 miles south of the Ukrainian border.
Reporting from mfa.gov.tr, the Aegean continental shelf is a dispute between Turkey and Greece. This is known to be part of efforts to bolster the armed forces of Greece and NATO's eastern and southeastern wings. "We are about to launch the process of acquiring a squadron of F-35 aircraft, and we look forward to adding this fantastic aircraft to the Greek Air Force before the end of the decade," Mitsotakis said at a White House reception hosted by US President Joe Biden on Monday.
Reporting from mfa.gov.tr, the Aegean continental shelf is a dispute between Turkey and Greece. This is because there is no delimitation agreement between the two countries. It also has an influence on the overall balance of rights and interests in the Aegean Sea. The dispute concerns the area of the continental shelf to be linked with Turkey and Greece beyond the 6-mile territorial sea in the Aegean Sea.
Turkey is ready to engage in dialogue with Greece with a view to finding a fair settlement of the issue which would be in the best interests of both countries. The issue of the Continental Shelf in the past has caused tensions between Turkey and Greece.