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Seven Turkish American organizations have urged members of the U.S. Congress to support the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye and remove sanctions imposed under the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA.
In a letter delivered to more than 50 members of Congress in July, the organizations argued that Türkiye’s continued access to U.S. defense systems serves American strategic interests and would strengthen NATO cohesion and regional security.
“As a NATO ally of nearly seventy-five years and a frontline security and diplomatic partner, the Republic of Türkiye's continued access to U.S. defense systems serves core American strategic interests, and we respectfully ask you to support pending sales of U.S. F-35 fighter jets and remove unnecessary sanctions and obstacles to this cooperation,” the letter said.
“Supporting these sales is an investment in NATO cohesion, regional stability, and a bilateral relationship of real and growing value. We urge your support and welcome the chance to discuss this further,” it added.
The letter was signed by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, the Turkish American Coalition, the Federation of Turkish American Associations, the Turkish American National Steering Committee, MUSIAD USA, the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce of the South and ASKON USA.
The groups highlighted the history of U.S.-Türkiye relations, saying diplomatic ties date to 1831 and noting that Türkiye became a formal treaty ally after joining NATO in 1952.
They described Türkiye as a country “anchoring the Alliance's southeastern border and controlling the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.”
The organizations also pointed to Turkish military facilities, including Incirlik Air Base, as “indispensable to defeating ISIS,” also known as Daesh.
They noted that Turkish troops “fought and died alongside American troops” during the Korean War.
The organizations said approving F-35 sales would help maintain Türkiye’s defense relationship with the U.S. and NATO as European countries increase military spending and Türkiye’s domestic defense industry expands.
They argued that the sale “keeps Ankara anchored to U.S. and NATO-aligned suppliers rather than alternatives.”
The letter also highlighted Türkiye’s role as what the groups described as a “constructive regional actor.”
They cited Ankara’s mediation efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war, its pursuit of peace with the terrorist organization PKK, its involvement in efforts to promote stability in Syria and its rapprochement with Armenia.
The U.S. suspended Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 following Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
Washington argued that the S-400 could endanger the F-35 program and was not compatible with NATO systems.
Türkiye has repeatedly said there is no conflict between the two systems and has proposed establishing a commission to examine the issue.
Several Turkish defense entities were subsequently sanctioned under CAATSA.
The congressional appeal comes as the issue has also been raised at the presidential level.
During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Türkiye last month on the sidelines of the NATO summit, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would “certainly” consider allowing Ankara to purchase F-35 fighter jets.
Trump also said he wanted to remove CAATSA sanctions imposed on Türkiye.
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