The senior administation official wouldn't go into detail about whether Biden cited specific examples of how Erdogan could improve Turkey's human rights record. In the meeting with Erdogan, Biden 'emphasized the importance of strong democratic institutions, respect for human rights, and the rule of law for peace and prosperity.' Kavala has been in prison since 2017 and was accused of conspiring with an American professor and the CIA to spy on the Turkish government, organize protests in 2013 and help plan a coup attempt in 2016 that left 250 people dead.
The meeting comes after Erdogan backed down on a threat to expel 10 foreign ambassadors, including from the U.S., after he called them 'persona non grata' for a statement they released in support of jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala. President Joe Biden (upper right) was joined by Secretary of State Antony Blinken (lower right), while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (upper left) had Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attend 'President Biden underscored his desire to maintain constructive relations, expand areas of cooperation, and manage our disagreements effectively,' the readout also said. Turkey wanted to buy 40 F-16s and 80 modernization kits for their existing warplanes, Reuters reported. and committed to continuing to work through that process,' the official said. And the president took on board his desire to have them, but made very clear that there is a process that we have to go through in the U.S. 'I mean, I think the Turkish Government and Erdogan, including in his public comments in the last couple of weeks, have been very clear that there is a desire by Turkey to purchase the F-16s. The administration official indicated that Biden hasn't made a final decision. concerns over Turkey's possession of the Russian S-400 missile system,' which had alarmed lawmakers enough to push Biden to stop any sales of the Lockheed Martin-made fighter jets. In a readout of the meeting provided by tthe White House the president expressed that there were 'U.S.
'They did talk about the F-16s with the president making very clear that there was a process underway that we had to go through,' the official said. The meeting between the leaders lasted for just under an hour.Ī senior administration official told reporters that the sale of the F-16s did come up. He ignored those queries and said 'thank you' to reporters. The president was also asked if he would bring up human rights in the meeting and if Turkey had gotten too cozy with the Russians.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and President Joe Biden (right) in their bilateral meeting Sunday morning, which kicked off Biden's second day of the G20 in Romeīiden was asked if the administration would sell F-16s to Turkey, which American lawmakers have warned him against. Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com In Rome, Italy Political Reporter In Rome, Italy and Nikki Schwab, Senior U.S.