Senator Van Hollen and Turkey’s F-16s

Senator Chris Van Hollen, an important voice of the Democratic caucus in the upper chamber of Congress, announced a few days ago that he will not aim to block the sale of F-16s to Turkey after the latter has ceased its incursions into Greek airspace, and, maybe more importantly, the Biden administration gave him assurances that it will continue to monitor this matter closely.

Ankara’s behavior towards Athens is obviously not the only cause of concern in Washington regarding Turkey.

Every serious observer of US-Turkish relations knows that it was not the overflights but other actions, most important of all the purchase of the Russian S-400s, that infuriated the US, both the administration and, even more so, the Congress.

Van Hollen also notes his “serious concerns about President Erdogan’s ongoing attacks against our Syrian Kurdish allies, his aggressive actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the role he played in supporting Azerbaijan’s military assaults against Nagorno-Karabakh.” He is not alone in the Senate and the House of Representatives in voicing such concerns.

Whatever the background, Athens and the Greek-American community managed to put the specific issue of Turkish F-16s flying over Greek islands on the map and make it part of the larger debate. And that was not a minor achievement.

As we move forward, and the US is working on managing its complex relationship with Turkey and dealing with the many pieces of the puzzle – there is an array of issues on which the two countries disagree, to put it mildly – Congressional oversight will remain a crucial part of the equation.

And Greek Americans, emboldened by Greece’s reliability as a strategic ally and its tangible contributions in an important region, will continue to play their part.