US-Turkey Talks on F-16 Fighter Jets ‘Going Well', Foreign Minister Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Turkey's negotiations with the United States on F-16 fighter jets are moving well, with the negative attitude toward the deal observed in the US in previous years vanishing, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

"The F-16 negotiations are going well. The [US] administration's approach on negotiations is very positive," Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by Turkey's Anadolu News Agency.

The minister stressed that the "negative atmosphere" in the US Congress with regard to the acquisition of F-16 jets by Turkey has evaporated.

"This [bilateral] cooperation also has strategic importance for NATO," Cavusoglu added.

In-mid July, the US House of Representatives passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act constraining the impending transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. The amendment requires assurances on behalf of the US president that the aircraft will not be used for unauthorized territorial overflights in Greece.

In 2019, the United States suspended Turkey's participation in its F-35 program over Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system and later completely removed it from the project. Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the US suggested that Turkey procure the fourth generation of the F-16 fighter jets instead of the fifth generation F-35s.

The US Congress has yet to approve the F-16 deal, with the situation being complicated by reports that Greece is exerting pressure on the US so that Washington does not sell upgraded F-16 combat aircraft to Turkey, citing its own security concerns.