Türkiye urges US to expedite F-16 process

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Türkiye expects the U.S. to approve the sale of F-16 fighter jets, noting that the purchase is in line with the "joint strategic interests" of both countries.

Cavusoglu was speaking in Washington, where he was welcomed by his U.S. Counterpart, Antony Blinken.

"As we said together before, this is not only for Türkiye but also important for NATO and for the United States as well," Cavusoglu said, adding that Ankara expects Washington's approval, in line with joint strategic interests of both countries.

The Biden administration has expressed its support for the sale of the jets to Türkiye, despite opposition from the U.S. Congress.

Speaking to reporters at the Turkish Embassy after a meeting with Blinken at the State Department, Cavusoglu said the U.S. side has not provided date on when they would send formal notification to Congress for F-16 sale.

He highlighted that Türkiye's request to purchase F-16 jets and Sweden, Finland's NATO bids are not related, as he added that the U.S. Congress should not consider these as related.

"The U.S. side said developments regarding Sweden and Finland's NATO bids may have positive impact on F-16 sale but they also said the two issues are not completely interconnected," he told reporters.