Turkey, Greece Agree on Confidence-Building Measures as Ankara Eyes F-16s

The meeting took place as part of a positive agenda set out between the two capitals in a bid to set aside their fundamental disagreements over territorial disputes in the Aegean Sea. The reset follows the de-escalation of tensions between the two countries after disaster diplomacy in the wake of devastating twin earthquakes in Turkey last February.

The reset comes as Ankara seeks to overcome congressional objections to purchase new F-16 fighter jets from the United States. Escalation between the two Aegean neighbors over the past years have led to further strains in Turkey’s ties with the European Union and the United States.

Turkey had requested in October 2021 to buy $20 billion of F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits. High-ranking members of Congress have objected to this sale, but could soften their position if Ankara ratifies Sweden’s bid, improves relations with Greece and maintains distance from Russia.

Some lawmakers linked their approval of a pending Turkish bid to buy new F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits from the United States to Ankara’s repairing ties with its Aegean neighbor along with a series of other issues — including Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession.

The Biden administration greenlighted the Turkish bid that Ankara tabled after Turkey’s exclusion from the program of the new generation F-35 program over its purchase of an S-400 missile defense system from Russia under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions in 2019.

Despite the Ankara-Athens reset, Congress has yet to greenlight Turkey’s request to purchase 40 F-16 fighter jets and 80 modernization kits to maintain its air force capacity.