Türkiye says F-16 jets and Finland, Sweden’s NATO bids 'not related'

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that Türkiye's request for F-16 fighter jets and Sweden and Finland's NATO bids are “not related.”

Speaking to reporters following a meeting with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, Cavusoglu said the US Congress should not portray these separate issues as related.

"We say that these two different issues should not be related to each other," he stressed.

Calling his meeting with Blinken “fruitful,” Cavusoglu said Türkiye proposed the US to hold “Türkiye-US Strategic Mechanism” meetings at least twice yearly.

He said he also invited Blinken to visit Türkiye and attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in March.​​​​​​​

Asked about the sale of F-35 jets to Greece, the Turkish foreign minister said the US policy of balance between Türkiye and Greece has “deteriorated.”