Senate's Foreign Relations Committee

Greek Foreign Affairs Minister George Gerapetritis is due to meet with the US senator for New Jersey, Cory Booker, at 12 noon on Tuesday.

Booker is a member of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, among other committees.
The meeting was originally scheduled for 11 a.m.

Gerapetritis was in Luxembourg on Monday for the EU's Foreign Affairs Council meeting. [AMNA]

Türkiye is moving closer to acquiring a fleet of F-16 fighter jets from the United States as the draft offer and acceptance letters have been officially received, according to a defense ministry official.

Türkiye expects to receive the draft offer and acceptance letters for the procurement of F-16 fighter jets from the United States by the end of this month, according to defense sources.

The U.S. Congress has given its final approval for the sale of 40 new F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye under a $23 billion deal as the 15-day objection period concluded on Feb. 10.

The approval follows the official notification from the Biden administration to Congress on Jan. 26.

Defense Ministry sources have expressed confidence that the proposed measure in the U.S. Senate to prevent the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye is unlikely to impede the process.

In response to inquiries, sources said they "do not expect any negativity" in the approval of the F-16 sale despite a recent proposal by Republican Senator Rand Paul.

Any decision by the United States to go ahead with the sale of F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits to Turkey would be "baffling" given the "belligerent" stance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan towards NATO ally Greece, said Senator Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, reiterating that he will not approve the sale.

The US Senate is expected to vote on Wednesday on the ratification of the protocol on Montenegro's accession to NATO, which would mark the final step in the Balkan country's membership process.