New US legislation which threatens to cancel Turkey’s involvement in the F-35 program prompted a terse response from Ankara on Friday.
Following the bill’s passage in committee on Thursday, Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said that preventing the sale of F-35s to Turkey is “against the spirit of [Turkey’s] alliance with the US,” according to Hurriyet news.
“This is not a program managed solely by the US. It is a multinational program and we expect everybody to fulfill their obligations,” Aksoy said. He added that Turkey has “fulfilled its obligations” regarding the F-35 program.
If the US takes such steps “we will have to respond,” he stressed.
The bill – an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act – was crafted in response to the detention of US citizen Andrew Brunsen, who faces up to 35 years in a Turkish prison on terrorism and spying charges, Reuters reported.
The amendment also cites Turkey’s signing of an agreement with Russia last December to purchase S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.
“There is tremendous hesitancy (about) transferring sensitive F-35 planes and technology to a nation who has purchased a Russian air defense system designed to shoot these very planes down,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, one of the bill’s cosponsors.
Simon Mpeho yea,I liked that..,they shouldn’t make any move in favour of the Turks
Warren Venter you don’t have ethics or moral value. why u r abusing. very sadddd
Right! The technology behind such a plane must be kept from the nations which are by nature hostile & threats to world peace!
I think they should sell it to turkey so that every islamic state kill each other …the world will be free from terrorist …isis,alkaida,hizbul and many more