Day: January 27, 2024

The US government has approved the $23bn sale of 40 new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey – a move that had been long delayed – after Ankara ratified Sweden’s accession to Nato, the BBC reports.

The deal includes modernization kits for 79 existing Turkish F-16s.

The US State Department told Congress it had also approved the sale of 40 F-35 fighters to Greece, costing $8.6bn.

Turkey ratified Sweden’s Nato accession after more than a year of delay that caused tension in the alliance.

But Turkish MPs ratified Sweden’s bid this week and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gave his final sign-off.

US President Joe Biden then urged that the F-16 sales be approved “without delay”.

“My approval of Turkey’s request to purchase F-16 aircrafts has been contingent on Turkish approval of Sweden’s Nato membership,” said Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, one of four key committees that needs to approve arms transfers.

“But make no mistake: This was not a decision I came to lightly.”

Combined Arms Army holds a graduation ceremony on the occasion of the successful completion of the next Warrant officers and Long-term active military servicemen courses, Report informs, citing the Ministry of Defense.

Anglo Asian Mining, the AIM listed gold, copper, and silver producer focused in Azerbaijan, has announced that drill results confirm a significant quantity of copper mineralisation at Xarxar.

Baku strongly condemns the biased decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) against Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told journalists during a visit to the Second Alley of Honor.

Azerbaijan’s female figure skater Sabina Aliyeva has booked a spot at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2024 after winning a silver medal with 128.27 points at the Ephesus Cup 2024 held in Izmir, Türkiye, Azernews reports.