Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar called for restrained optimism in the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States.
“It's a long process. Will it have a positive end? It's possible. For sure? No. We are closely following the process,” Akar said in an interview with a Turkish TV channel.
Earlier, the Turkish Defense Minister said that contacts on the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara will be intensified, and if necessary, they can be joined by Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Joe Biden. Akar also said that the Turkish side sent a letter to the US State Department regarding the purchase of the fighter jets, which was then sent to the Congress. The letter says that the sale of fighter jets to Turkey will be in the interests of US national security.
Akar also said that he expects a positive development in the coming days in the implementation of the project of joint production of SAMP-T air defense systems with France and Italy.
