Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking forgiveness.

Last week, he asked President Trump to re-admit Turkey to the fifth generation stealth F-35 fighter jet program, from which it was booted in 2019 after acquiring a Russian air defense system that poses a significant cyber threat to NATO.

But Trump would be ill-advised to accede to Erdogan’s request.

Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program because it acquired the Russian manufactured S-400 air defense system, despite clear warnings from Washington and other NATO allies. The concerns were real: activating and operating a Russian air defense system anywhere near F-35 planes would seriously compromise them. This is because the S-400 has the ability to identify, track and target the F-35 (and other aircraft). Moscow would thus gain valuable intelligence to help shoot them down. Ankara ignored the warnings, resulting not only in its removal from the F-35 program, but also U.S. sanctions pursuant to the Countering of America’s Adversaries Act.

Erdogan has rejected calls to divest Turkey of its S-400s, saying it was a “done deal.” His only saving grace is that he has not activated the system. Erdogan is now asking the Trump administration to let bygones be bygones. But the S-400 was never sent back to Russia, or to Ukraine (a far better option). Turkish officials say they don’t want to offend Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

But Ankara has had no problem offending its NATO allies in recent years. Erdogan has consistently used Turkey’s NATO membership to undermine the alliance. Turkey held up Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO for nearly two years.

================================================

Shop Laura Geller® Cosmetics! Put your best face forward.

Beauty is for everyone and should be uncomplicated, mistake-proof and enjoyable. Shop Laura Geller Cosmetics for beauty products that work for you every time!

https://rb.gy/errbq0    https://rb.gy/errbq0

================================================

Erdogan undermined Washington’s partnership with the Syrian Kurds, who bravely fought the Islamic State in northern Syria. Pointing to the Syrian Kurdish faction YPG’s connections to the Turkish terrorist group PKK, Erdogan has threatened regional stability by repeatedly bombing Kurdish targets.

Erdogan is a patron of Hamas, the group that slaughtered 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, and kicked off a war that has rocked the Middle East. Erdogan lauds Hamas as “a group of mujahideen defending their lands.” Ankara’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, hosted Hamas leaders in Turkey over the weekend. Last month, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told a U.S. delegation that Turkey is aiding Iran to smuggle funds to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Aspiring to regional dominance, Turkey has been terrorizing the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Turkish military vessels and aircraft routinely challenge the sovereign territory, airspace and exclusive economic zones of Greece and Cyprus. Greece is a NATO member. Cyprus is a member of the European Union.

Also worrying is Turkey’s duplicitous role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. On the one hand, Ankara provided military aid to Ukraine and closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian warships when the war began in 2022.

However, Turkey also maintained close trade and energy ties with Russia. It is a conduit for Russian evasion of Western sanctions, including via the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project, which is built, owned and operated by Russia’s Rosatom.

Meanwhile, a significant percentage of Russia’s illicit procurement of Western components used in military hardware has flowed through Turkey.

Finally, Turkey aspires to join groupings like BRICS and organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that seek to undermine the U.S.-led world order to the benefit of Russia and China. Given Ankara’s recent domestic repression and its unlawful crackdown on the political opposition, Turkey increasingly appears better suited for these organizations compared to NATO.

Nevertheless, Washington continues to offer Ankara opportunities to recommit itself to the transatlantic alliance. In return for allowing Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Congress authorized the sale of brand-new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey during the Biden administration. But the F-16s were apparently not enough. Ankara wants back into the F-35 program. And the Trump administration appears open to it.

Whatever happens next, the barrier to entry must be high. Ankara must demonstrate its willingness to engage in a significant course correction to rebuild trust with the U.S. Specifically, Turkey must fully resolve the S-400 issue.

Rumors are circulating that the administration would allow Turkey to destroy one component of the system to make it inoperable. That’s insufficient. The destruction of the entire system is one solution. Another would be to provide the system to Ukraine. Yet another would be to hand it over to U.S. technicians to study the Russian platform.

Erdogan must also be pushed to end support for terrorist organizations. He must sever all ties with Hamas, including shutting down its offices, extraditing known operatives, and revoking their legal status in Turkey. The money flowing to Hezbollah must end now, too.

Finally, Washington should demand that Turkey fully back the international sanctions regime against Moscow and halt the flow of dual-use goods that aid Russia’s illegal war effort against Ukraine. After that, our two countries can talk about Turkey’s military wish list.

The F-35 will help defend U.S. national security for decades to come. Only our most trusted allies should access this technology. Turkey does not meet that standard right now. It makes good sense to provide pathways for Ankara to re-join the club. But welcoming Turkey right now would be rewarding a purported ally that behaves like an adversary.

================================================

Shop Laura Geller® Cosmetics! Put your best face forward.

Beauty is for everyone and should be uncomplicated, mistake-proof and enjoyable. Shop Laura Geller Cosmetics for beauty products that work for you every time!

https://rb.gy/errbq0    https://rb.gy/errbq0

================================================