Will Meet With President Biden In Glasgow, President Erdogan Will Focus On Discussing The F-35 Fighter Jet

JAKARTA - President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday said the issue of the F-35 fighter jet program would be a major topic at his upcoming meeting with US President Joe Biden.

President Erdogan said the meeting was planned to be held in Glasgow, Scotland on the sidelines of the United Nations climate conference (COP26), which is due to start on October 31. This will be the second meeting since Joe Biden was sworn in in January this year.

Turkey, the producer and buyer of the F-35, was removed from the program last year over its 2019 purchase of Russia's S-400 Triumf air defense system. The condition, which Angkara judged absent, demanded reimbursement for an investment worth US$1.4 billion.

President Erdogan said Washington offered Ankara a package of F-16 jets and modernization kits in return for the payment.

"The information we received is that there is some kind of payment plan with them," President Erdogan explained of the F-16s, citing the Daily Sabah of 27 October.

The F-35 issue will be the most important topic in the meeting with Biden, he said on his return flight from a visit to Azerbaijan.

Ankara is known to have ordered more than 100 F-35 stealth fighter jets, built by Lockheed Martin, while its defense industry has been a leading player in the development and manufacture of the aircraft.

President Erdogan added he would have the opportunity to confirm directly whether Washington was willing to return the money via the delivery of the F-16s.

"Whether this is true or not, we will find out from them. It would be good for me to discuss this with President Joe Biden at the highest level. If so, we will make a deal on that," he explained.

To note, any military sales of Uncle Sam's country must be approved by the US Congress, which is known for its anti-Turkey stance that has repeatedly damaged bilateral relations.

Separately, Democratic and Republican US lawmakers have urged President Biden's administration not to sell F-16s to Turkey, saying they believe Congress will block such exports.

In a letter to President Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the 11 members of the House of Representatives cited "deep concern" about recent reports that Turkey could purchase 40 new Lockheed Martin F-16s and 80 F-16 modernization kits.

"Following President Erdogan's announcement in September, Turkey will purchase an additional stage of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, we cannot compromise our national security, by sending US-made aircraft to treaty allies who continue to behave like enemies," the lawmaker wrote.

Glasgow will host the COP26 climate conference which opens on Sunday and runs through November 12. President Erdogan has previously said he might meet Biden at the G-20 summit in Rome at the end of this month.

"The agenda of Rome and Glasgow seems to have changed. We will likely meet in Glasgow, not in Rome," said President Erdogan. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium in June.

To note, Washington's decades-old partnership with NATO ally Ankara has experienced unprecedented turmoil in the past five years, due to disagreements on many issues, including Syria and Ankara's closer ties to Moscow.

Earlier this month, the chairman of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) Ismail Demir said Turkey could buy Russia's Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-57 fighters if the US freezes sales of F-16 fighters.

Separately, Washington argues the S-400 air missile system could be used by Russia to secretly obtain classified details on F-35 jets and is said to be incompatible with NATO systems. However, Turkey insists the S-400 will not be integrated into NATO systems and will not pose a threat to the alliance.

The purchase of the S-400 has sparked US sanctions. In December 2020, Washington blacklisted SSB, head Demir, and three other employees.