Greek opposition blames govt for US jet sale to Türkiye
An F-16 Fighting Falcon of the Turkish Air Force takes off on a sortie from an air base during Exercise Anatolian Eagle, in Konya, Türkiye. (Turkish Defense Ministry Handout)


The Greek opposition accused the government of "catastrophic failure" in implementing proper foreign policies to prevent the United States from selling F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye.

After the U.S. State Department announced its decision on the potential sale of 40 jets and 79 modernization kits for tiered review in Congress, the leftist Syriza party said that the development highlighted the policy failure of being Washington's "faithful and devoted ally", the Efsyn news outlet reported on Sunday.

"The government's dangerous foreign policy has increased adverse consequences for Greek interests," it added.

Separately, the Greek Communist Party (KKE) warned that the foreign policy choices of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' administration were opening dangerous pathways for a special regime on the Greek islands in which NATO would have the first say.

The far-right Elliniki Lisi was also harsh in its criticism of Mitsotakis' conservative Nea Dimokratia (ND) government, which it accused of abandoning the Greek diaspora in the U.S. alone in its efforts to block the arms sale to Ankara.

Accusing the government of leaving the diaspora to work by itself to prevent the U.S. administration's decision, it argued that this was tantamount to national humiliation.

The U.S. State Department sent Congress its decision on the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye for tiered review, sources told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

The notification on the sale of new F-16 jets and modernization kits has been conveyed to the chairpersons and ranking members of relevant committees in the House of Representatives and Senate, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The State Department is expected to officially announce its notification this week. The congressional notification of the sales will start a 15-day window for lawmakers to raise objections.

Akar said in late December that Ankara expected "positive and concrete steps" from the U.S. regarding the fighter jets sale that Türkiye requested in October 2021.