Greece will not be pleased if the United States decide to sell the F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, the country’s Defense Minister, Nikos Dendias said on Thursday.
“Let me be honest. Greece is not happy for Turkey to get the F-35, Greece is not happy with Turkey getting engines for a new generation aircraft. And our general approach to that is, we are not to judge what the United States of America are doing and to whom they are selling. That is the business of the US government. We are just asking one question: Is it to the real interest of the US, yes or no?” Dendias said at an Economist conference in Athens.
“Its is certain that for the US government, NATO and especially stability in the Eastern Mediterranean is essential. So, giving a platform to one country in the Eastern Mediterranean without the caveat that this cannot be used against another allied member, is it to the interest of the US or not?”
In the lead-up to the NATO meeting in Ankara, US President Donald Trump had suggested that he could lift sanctions imposed on Turkey to facilitate the sale of the aircraft.
Turkey’s interest in acquiring F-35s faces legal obstacles as a result of Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile system. Congress passed a law prohibiting any F-35 sales to Turkey as long as Ankara retained the S-400s, saying the Russian system posed a security risk to US-made combat aircraft.