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American President Joe Biden, through a letter, called on the leaders of the main congressional committees to start the official process of announcing the sale of Lockheed Martin's F-16 aircraft to Turkey, as soon as Ankara completes the process of Sweden's admission to NATO.
In the letter to the top Republican and Democratic members of the Senate and House Foreign Relations committees, President Biden urges Congress to approve the sale "without delay," a US official said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the White House sent a letter to members of Congress seeking approval for a $20 billion sale of F-16 jets and spare parts to Turkey, four people with knowledge of the letter told Reuters .
Turkey's parliament ratified Sweden's application for NATO membership on Tuesday, removing after a 20-month delay a major obstacle to the expansion of the Western military alliance. The sources said the letter was sent on Wednesday and that President Biden's administration had not yet formally notified Congress of plans for the sale.
Turkey's delay in ratifying had been a major obstacle to winning congressional approval of the fighter jet deal. Lawmakers had said they were waiting for Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO membership - including Turkish President Erdogan's signature - before deciding whether to approve the sale.
So, the White House did not respond to requests for comment. The State Department also urged Ankara on Wednesday to formally finalize Sweden's ratification of NATO. To do this, President Erdogan must sign the legislation, which is then published in the Official Gazette of Turkey. The instrument of accession for Sweden must also be sent to Washington.
The State Department declined to provide an exact timeline on the formal notification process for the sale of the F-16 jets. Turkey in October 2021 sought to buy $20 billion worth of F-16 jets and nearly 80 units of equipment to modernize its existing fighter jets.
The heads of the Senate and House Foreign Relations committees review any major arms sales to other countries. They regularly ask questions or raise concerns about human rights or diplomatic issues that could delay or stop such deals.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO after Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022. While Finland's membership ended last year, Sweden's application was blocked by Turkey and Hungary. All NATO member countries must approve applications from countries seeking to join the alliance.
When Sweden and Finland applied to join, Turkey raised objections over what it said was protection by the two countries for groups Turkey considers terrorist.
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