U.S. and Turkish defense officials will meet in coming months in Washington DC to discuss the issue
The United States and Turkey have held another round of talks to resolve the dispute over Ankara’s removal from the F-35 program, the Pentagon said.
U.S. defense officials held meetings with Turkish counterparts in Ankara on October 27 to resolve remaining issues from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program. “The meeting demonstrates the commitment of the United States Government to conclude respectfully Turkey’s prior involvement in the F-35 program” the U.S. Department of Defense said.
Discussions were described productive, and the delegations agreed to meet in the coming months in Washington, DC, to continue talks.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke by phone with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. The Pentagon said it recognized “Turkey’s military modernization needs.” Austin also thanked Turkey for hosting a DoD team in Ankara to begin dispute resolution discussions to address outstanding issues resulting from Turkey’s removal from the F-35 program, which was finalized on September 23.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to meet the U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a climate summit in Glasgow, during which he would also take up the issue.
Turkish government is seeking to recover a $1.4 billion payment that the country made before it was expelled from the F-35 program. Erdogan said that the United States has proposed selling F-16 fighter jets to Turkey to make up for the payment.
Ankara has ordered 100 F-35s from Lockheed Martin but was removed from the program after it decided to purchase the Russia’s S-400 long-range air and anti-missile defense system. Washington says the Russian system would compromise the security of F-35 jets.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey could also purchase Russia’s Su-35 and Su-57 fighters if the U.S. freezes the sale of F-16 fighter jets. “If the U.S does not want to resolve the F35s issue, or if the U.S. Congress blocks it, then Turkey will consider other options, including purchasing [Russian-made] SU-35 or SU-57,” he told CNN Turk.
