Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that his country can secure combat aircraft from other countries if it does not get F-16 fighters from the United States.
He said in a press statement after Friday prayers in Istanbul, "We can secure fighter planes from anywhere, there are Britain, France and Russia selling them, and there are countries that are hinting at us."
He added, "I hope that the United States will not lead us to other ways regarding the file of F-16 fighters, as it is not the only place that sells warplanes."
Turkey seeks to modernize its air force after failing to acquire F-35 fighters (Reuters)
He pointed out that US President Joe Biden said during a meeting between them in the Spanish capital Madrid that he would provide support in terms of selling fighters to Turkey, and took a positive approach in this regard, and Erdogan explained that Biden indicated to him during the meeting that members of the Republican Party do not provide the necessary support.
Erdogan indicated that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with an official member of the US Republican Party in Bulgaria, and the latter told him that they would provide support to Turkey.
It is noteworthy that Washington did not hand over the F-35 fighters to Turkey under the pretext of providing Ankara with the Russian S-400 air defense system, after the United States refrained from providing Turkey with Patriot systems.
On the other hand, Erdogan referred to the continuation of the wrong steps taken by the United States regarding the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which Ankara classifies as a terrorist organization.
He stressed that the West has not yet engaged in a proper operation or struggle against the "terrorist organization", but rather is satisfied with words and does nothing else.