The US administration’s position over the re-admission of Turkey into the coveted F-35 program has not changed, according to a high-ranking official in the US State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs, who added that Washington remains fully committed to applying the CAATSA sanctions.
It was the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as CAATSA, that got Turkey into “hot water” in the first place, when Ankara purchased and deployed the Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft and missile system.
The answer by the State Department came in reply to a tabled question by a bipartisan group of 40 US lawmakers, which included Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-D) and other members of the Hellenic Caucus in Congress.
The State Department official reiterated that conditions for the acquisition of the 5th-generation F-35 are well-known, including those as outlined in article 1245 of legislation for the US defense budget of 2020.
The question signed by Pappas, Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01) and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) is here:
