A Greek American community leader on Thursday outlined to right-wing organizer Steve Bannon the strategy he believes President Donald Trump’s administration should follow on the issue of Turkey’s request to buy advanced stealth jet fighters from the US.
Speaking on Bannon’s War Room podcast, Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, stressed that granting Ankara access to the F-35 warplanes should mean that Turkey’s armed forces would never use them against US allies.
“President Trump understands leverage. Turkey wants access to American weapons, but that access is a privilege, not a right,” Zemenides said.
He argued that Washington should set preconditions to Turkey for the sale to go ahead.
“Trump should demand three things: [That Turkey] pull completely out of Cyprus, cancel the casus belli against Greece, and end the Blue Homeland doctrine,” he said – referring to Ankara’s threat of war should Athens extend its territorial waters and its claims on a large section of the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean.
