A move by House lawmakers to try to block the sales of U.S. arms to Turkey could lead to retaliation by the country, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned on Sunday.
Such a provision was included in the proposed fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, a $717 billion defense policy bill. Under the legislation, U.S. sales to Turkey would be halted while the Department of Defense compiles a report for Congress on the relationship between the two countries.
[Mac Thornberry unveils $717 billion budget plan for the Pentagon]
“If the United States imposes sanctions on us or takes such a step, Turkey will absolutely retaliate,” Cavusoglu said, according to a Reuters report. “What needs to be done is the U.S. needs to let go of this.”
The House Armed Services Committee is expected to take up the NDAA on Wednesday. The Senate Armed Services Committee is also expected to mark-up their version of the bill later this month.
Turkey was slated to purchase more than 100 Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets, among other weapons, according to Reuters. Cavusoglu said he would meet this week with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo amid concerns from the Trump administration that Turkey is also set to buy missile batteries from Russia.
