Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

Influential US Senator Bob Menendez reiterated his high-profile objections to the sale of new F-16s and the upgrading of Turkey's current fleet of the US-made warplane, in an exclusive soon-to-be broadcast interview with Mega Channel.

Türkiye has strongly slammed Sweden for allowing anti-Islam and anti-Türkiye protests near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm and has canceled Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson's next week visit to Türkiye during which the Scandinavian country's NATO application was planned to be discussed.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu urged the U.S. to see the real face of FETÖ amid the ongoing investigations into the group which orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 wounded.

The mood in Ankara was not a bright one in the aftermath of the meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Washington, as it did not produce the results it anticipated, at least based on what is being discussed publicly. 

Last week news dropped that the Biden administration reportedly will ask Congress to approve a $20 billion sale of F-16s to Turkey, coupled with a separate sale of F-35 fighters to Greece.

The sale of F-16s was also the focus of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Wednesday.

Washington has been engaged in a difficult balancing act in recent weeks on multiple levels with regard to Greece and Turkey. The election periods in both countries, Ankara's behavior and the requests for F-16 and F-35 fighter jets that are running almost in parallel, have brought the American diplomacy, which is trying not to displease anyone, to its limits.

The United States has proposed to launch a new study and cooperation with Türkiye on Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, reiterating that this can be possible only after the former gains Türkiye's confidence by keeping the promises it gave in the past years.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday said he expected the United States to approve a $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, saying the planned acquisition is in line with the "joint strategic interests" of both Washington and Ankara.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Washington on Wednesday, a belated official visit by Turkey's top diplomat that will focus on the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets and Ankara's refusal to green light NATO membership for Sweden and Finland.

Effective and concrete steps are needed at the global level to fight the climate crisis, Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan said on Jan. 17 and called on foreign envoys in Ankara to act together in this bid.