Erdogan to discuss Turkey's F-35 ouster with US counterpart Biden on sidelines of COP26

Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he expects to meet US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the COP26 in Glasgow. Erodgan has been planning to hold bilateral talks with his American counterpart for a long time and next week’s summit could allow him to bring up a range of issues including Turkey’s expulsion from a multi-million fighter jet manufacturing programme. On Wednesday, he confirmed the same to the reporters highlighting that the F-35 programme would top his agenda during the meet. 

“Most likely, we will have a meeting in Glasgow instead of Rome. Our most important issue will be the F-35,” Erdogan told reporters on his return from a trip to Azerbaijan as per The Associated Press. 

In 2019, Ankara inked a pact with US’ geopolitical rival Russia for the acquisition of S-400 advanced missile defence systems. This prompted the Biden administration to oust the country from international programs producing F-35 stealth jets and sanctioning Turkish officials despite the country paying $1.4 billion for the same. Imposing Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAASTA) sanctions, Washington argued that the usage of Russian parts could sabotage F-35 jets but Ankara defeated its decision saying that both could be used discreetly. 

In the aftermath, Erdogan said that he would seek monetary compensation from the US. “We made a $1.4 billion payment, what will become of that?” Erdogan was quoted as saying by AP last month.  “We did not - and do not - earn this money easily. Either they will give us our planes or they will give us the money.”

America's proposed compensation

Interestingly, Erdogan also disclosed that the United States has offered to sell Ankara F-16 fighter jets in return for the investment in Washington’s F-35 program. 

“We are talking $1.4 billion spent on F-35s. As a return for this investment, the US approached us with this offer. We told them we will do everything to meet our country’s defense needs,” Erdogan told the country’s reporters on Sunday ahead of departing for a trip to Africa, adding that Turkey wants a return for its investment in the F-35 programme and that talks on the issue are ongoing. 

(Image: AP)