PSEKA, the International Coordinating Committee—Justice for Cyprus, urged against any effort to reintegrate Turkey into the U.S. F-35 fighter jet program or to lift CAATSA sanctions.
PSEKA argues that the F-35 should be reserved only for America’s most reliable allies and stresses that Turkey has repeatedly proven itself an untrustworthy NATO member.
The announcement calls for support of HALC’s letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, insisting that any discussion about lifting sanctions must begin by addressing Turkey’s behavior.
“Turkey, a member of NATO, has demonstrated time and time again that it’s not a trusted ally. Appeasement did not work with Hitler and it would not work with Dictator Erdogan” PSEKA said in the letter.
According to CNA sources, a meeting took place Monday between PSEKA and the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Senator Jim Risch. During the meeting, Senator Risch mentioned that “he will not allow Turkey to be reintegrated into the F-35 program”.
HALC’s letter to Secretary Marco Rubio expresses, among others, the strong concern over reports that the Trump Administration is considering lifting CAATSA sanctions on Turkey and reintegrating it into the F-35 program, despite Ankara’s continued possession of Russian S-400 systems.
It stresses that Turkey has repeatedly violated NATO norms and policies by threatening U.S. partners in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea, where Turkish overflights are constantly taking place, even over inhabited Greek islands and the Middle East.
Turkey, the letter says, is also maintaining ties with Hamas, while targeting America’s Kurdish allies in Syria. The letter also highlights Erdogan’s regime’s authoritarian practices at home. It calls for a firm and public message: no discussion on lifting sanctions should take place without the removal of the S-400s, and no sale of F-35s unless Turkey proves itself to be a trustworthy ally.