American Jewish Committee (AJC) and HALC to Congress: Turkey has used its existing fleet of American F-16s to violate Greek airspace

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On behalf of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), we write to urge your support for a bipartisan amendment to the NDAA sponsored by Rep. Chris Pappas, Gus Bilirakis, David Cicilline, Nicole Malliotakis, Frank Pallone, and Carolyn Maloney to limit the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

Turkish violations of Greek sovereign airspace and armed flyovers over islands in the Aegean are at dangerous levels, posing a real threat to peace and stability in the region. Additionally, Turkey holds provocative and dangerous naval exercises – sometimes with live ammunition – in Greek territorial waters and around inhabited islands.

Despite these aggressive provocations by the Erdogan government, the U.S. administration has signaled openness to considering a request made by the Republic of Turkey to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing enormous fleet of warplanes.

Selling Turkey new F-16s and upgrade kits to Turkey would undermine American law, values, and interests. Turkey has already used its existing fleet of American F-16s to violate Greek airspace.

A broad array of experts consistently express concerns about co-locating upgraded F-16s in the same theater as Russian S-400s, which Turkey also possesses.

The Pappas amendment would prohibit the United States from selling F-16s and F-16 modernization kits and upgrade technologies to Turkey unless Congress receives certification that Turkey has not violated Greece’s sovereignty – specifically through territorial overflights or violations of Greece’s internationally-recognized Flight Information Region. We hope you will support this important amendment.

Thank you for your consideration of our views on this matter.

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