The spokesperson said, “Turkiye is an important NATO Ally. It’s an important security partner. We want to ensure that our defence capabilities are integrated and that Turkiye has what it needs to take on the formidable threats that it faces. No NATO Ally has faced more terrorist attacks on its soil than our Turkish Allies. And so our co-operation in the security realm is of paramount importance to us. “
The CAATSA applied to Turkiye, and the f-16 procurement was also asked. The question was, “Can you tell us how a sale of F-16s is compatible with being sanctioned? How can – how are you going to give them – to give them the F-16s? Are you going to lift the sanctions?”
The spokesperson said, “We want to make sure that any decisions, any moves that are made are consistent with our national security interests and are consistent with the shared security objectives that we also have in common with our Turkish allies. So not in a position to go beyond what we’ve said, but we continue to discuss it.”
When the future of CAATSA sanctions was asked, the spokesperson said, “ You’re asking a hypothetical question, and just not going to weigh in on that.”
