US senator moves against Turkish defense exports, Azerbaijan

A senior U.S. senator has proposed measures targeting Turkey's defense sector exports as well as aid to Azerbaijan.

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also known for this ties to the U.S.' Greek and Armenian lobbies, on Thursday introduced measures to put Turkey's drone program under harsh scrutiny and deny any further aid to Azerbaijan.

Menendez' proposed changes to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) seek to tighten US government tracking and reporting on the national security implications of Turkey's UAV (drone) exports and prevent further exceptions to bypass a 1992 law banning US military assistance to of Azerbaijan.

The senator has claimed that Turkey's drone sales are "dangerous, destabilizing and a threat to peace and human rights."

Mentioning how Turkish drones played a critical role in Azerbaijan's fall 2020 liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh from nearly 30 years of Armenian occupation, Menendez pointed out how Poland, a NATO member, Morocco and Ukraine, both allies of the West, also purchased Turkish drones.

Several other countries have expressed interest in purchasing Turkish drones, he said, including Angola, Niger, Nigeria, and Rwanda.

Menendez' proposed changes would require the US state and defense departments to probe whether Turkish drones contain US-made parts or technology.

They would also require the State Department to determine whether Turkey's exports are a violation of the Arms Export Control Act or any other U.S. law or sanctions.

On Azerbaijan, Menendez is pushing to stop any more exceptions to a 1992 law banning US military assistance to of Azerbaijan. The 1992 law in question bans most assistance to Azerbaijan "until...