Former Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo has expressed his clear disagreement with a possible sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Speaking to ERT's correspondent in the US, Lena Argyri, the former minister noted that such a compromise should not even be considered as it would be a violation of the CAATSA Law..
It is recalled that when Turkey completed the acquisition of the Russian S-400 system, Mike Pompeo had relied on this law to expel it from the program of F-35 fighter jets and then impose additional sanctions on it.
"Based on what exactly CAATSA sanctions are, such a sale would be against the law. The US government must, as we have, comply with US law. I believe he will do that. A NATO ally cannot set up a sophisticated Russian system.
We were always clear about our expectations. We made it clear to them that they could not have the F-35s in their arsenal. "Any conciliation that violates the CAATSA law should not be considered by the US government at any time," he said.
He went on to say that the former minister was critical of Turkey's provocative behavior, saying that problems between countries, especially between NATO allies, should not be resolved by force. "We have always urged the Turkish government to take part in discussions," he said.
If they have a disagreement on a particular issue, there are mechanisms for resolving various issues that are appropriate for managing such situations. Management should not be through military force, occupation or threats of violence. This is not the way good NATO allies or countries should talk to each other.
Turkey is behaving provocatively. We have always made it clear to them that we will support any country that is willing to discuss and engage in dialogue, but in no case do we support the display of military power. "There is international legitimacy, there are rules and I hope the Turkish government understands this."
In addition, he spoke positively about the enhanced geopolitical role that Greece has taken on in the wider region. "Greece is extremely important, not only in the Eastern Mediterranean region but in general because of the alliances it forms with all European countries.
We worked closely with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and his associates, with Mr. Dendias, and as I saw, the new defense agreement was recently signed and I am very pleased that the work we had begun has been completed. Also, under the leadership of Mr. Mitsotakis we see that important relations have been established with countries in the Middle East, such as for example with Israel.
"There is an integrated regional concept of how we ensure prosperity and Greece is a very important part of this strategy, securing NATO's southern wing and working closely with other European countries to have positive results for the region," he said. Pompeo.
Finally, the former US Secretary of State expressed his support for the reopening of the Halki Theological Seminary. As he characteristically stressed, "we must be clear about what we demand from each leader and at the same time we must express in every way our support to the spiritual leaders."
Source: RES-EAP
