Türkiye urges US to lift sanctions in defence industry, approve F-16 sale

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tells US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that finalising the F-16 fighter jet sale deal is beneficial for both sides and that Ankara expects support from Congress to push through the deal.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has urged the US to lift sanctions against Ankara in the defence industry field, highlighting the need for the US to approve the sale of F-16 fighter jets.

Cavusoglu was speaking on Monday at a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken following a meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.

During the meeting, Cavusoglu told reporters he had discussed a planned $20 billion deal for US F-16 warplanes with Blinken, and said that Türkiye would like the US administration to send the formal notification for the F-16s to Congress.

Cavusoglu said finalising the F-16 fighter jet sale deal is beneficial for both sides and added that Ankara expected support from Congress to push through the deal.

Meanwhile, Blinken said it is the “national interest and security interest” for the Biden administration to both upgrade existing F-16s and provide new ones to Türkiye.

Cavusoglu also said that the fight against terrorism is a priority item on the mutual agenda, and further urged to have more effective cooperation and collaboration in the field of security.