US Senator Lindsey Graham has said he supports the Biden administration’s decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye.
Graham visited Türkiye over the weekend, where he met with Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on July 2.
According to a statement by the Turkish Presidency, the two officials discussed US-Türkiye bilateral relations, the fight against terrorism, cooperation in the defense industry, the Ukraine-Russia war, Black Sea grain shipments as well as other regional issues.
Read more: Turkey wants to buy 40 F-16 jets from US?
Cooperation in the field of defense and making progress on the F-16 issue will serve the interests of the two countries, the statement said.
In a tweet after the meeting, Graham said he had a “very productive trip” to Türkiye, which, he stressed, is a “member of NATO and a valuable American ally”.
I had a very productive trip to Turkey, a member of NATO and a valuable American ally.
While we have had a problematic relationship at times, it is imperative Turkey and the US take steps to strengthen the ties between our two nations. pic.twitter.com/szEEpZOIXH
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 4, 2022
“While we have had a problematic relationship at times, it is imperative Turkey and the US take steps to strengthen the ties between our two nations,” Graham wrote on Twitter.
I will do all in my power to support the Biden Administration’s decision to sell F-16s to the Turkish Air Force.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 4, 2022
“I will do all in my power to support the Biden Administration’s decision to sell F-16s to the Turkish Air Force,” he said.
He added that the fighter jets will bolster the Turkish military that is “most definitely in America’s national security interests.”
Read more: Biden calls for selling F-16s to Turkey
The Turkish government requested the F-16s and modernization kits in October 2021. The $6 billion deal would include the sale of 40 newly built F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits for 80 F-16 C/D models that the Turkish Air Force has in its inventory.
Anadolu with additional input by GVS News Desk