The Greek diaspora in the US is once again active and pressures American decision-makers not to give in to Turkey's offers to buy F-16 fighter jets, since these will be aimed at Greece.
At the same time, Greek expatriates are invoking the revisionist doctrine of the "Blue Homeland", which Turkey's new defense minister was quick to adopt.
Turkey's intensifying efforts to buy new F-16 fighters and upgrade kits from the US are being responded to by the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) with a campaign to Congress.
Specifically, HALC is asking all of its members to send a letter to their Congressmen and Senators asking them to take action and demand that Turkey not purchase F-16s while it continues the same revisionist policy of threatening Greece with war.
In fact, the letter also makes reference to Turkey's new Defense Minister, who has vowed to protect his country's interests and the "Blue Homeland". As noted, this is a revisionist doctrine that expresses Ankara's expansionist ambitions in the Aegean.
It will be recalled that in a recent interview with the CNN network, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan had said of Turkey that "it is formulating an independent foreign policy, but one (policy) that allows us to have a constructive relationship with it, even in the defense area, where President Erdogan's main request to President Biden is for the U.S. to provide F-16 fighters, which President Biden has said he would like to provide."
HALC Members' Letter to Members of Congress
"Turkey is stepping up its efforts to buy F-16 aircraft and upgrade kits from the United States - and we need you to take action.
Turkey continues to threaten Greece with war. In fact, Turkey's new defense minister just "vowed to protect his country's interests and the 'Blue Homeland,'" a revisionist doctrine that expresses Ankara's expansionist ambitions in the Aegean.
From maps depicting Greek islands as Turkish to President Erdogan's threats to invade Greece, it is clear that Turkey has no intention of complying with international law or upholding the standards of behavior expected of a NATO ally.
Congress has the power to stop the sale. We need members of Congress to take action and demand that as long as Turkey continues to threaten war with Greece, it should not and cannot buy F-16s from the United States."
