Turkey has signed a one-year, $2.4 million deal with a lobbying company that has strong ties with US President Donald Trump, in the hope of unblocking deliveries of US-made F-35 stealth warplanes.
Last month, Ankara is reported to have looked into the option of selling its Russian S-400 air defense systems to another country, potentially the United Arab Emirates, to persuade Washington to lift the ban on F-35 sales to Turkey.
Ankara is also hoping to take delivery of six F-35s that have been stationed in the US for years, despite having been constructed for Turkish use. The new lobbying deal is seen as an effort to boost political and bureaucratic contacts in Washington to attain these targets.
According to the Middle East Eye website, Ballard Partners signed the deal with Turkey’s Defense Ministry on August 8, to represent Turkish interests at the US government and Congress.
The company will also provide Ankara with regular updates on developments in Congress and US policies. Ballard Partners had signed a $1.5 million deal with Turkey in 2017, during Trump’s first term.
