Türkiye following up on F-35 procurement process: Erdoğan
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Ankara is pursuing the delivery of F-35 jets from the U.S. after making payments.
"We told them (the U.S.), ‘We paid, yet you still haven’t delivered the F-35s. That’s it. Now we’re following up'," he told reporters at a reception in parliament.
The issue was on the agenda during Erdoğan's White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last Thursday.
Trump said after the talks that the leaders "had a very good conversation having to do with the purchase of military equipment."
In his address to parliament's opening session earlier that day, Erdoğan touched on key issues like a terrorism-free Türkiye, Palestine, Syria and the economy.
"We didn't encounter the Palestinian cause two years ago, we dedicated our lives to this. We will fearlessly defend the rights of Palestine and Jerusalem... until our last breath," he said.
He praised lawmakers for their "dignified stance against the smear campaigns" targeting Türkiye during Israel's war.
"We have never abandoned the brave sons of Gaza who heroically resisted the occupying forces. The TBMM [Turkish parliament] passed the Gaza test fully and completely, befitting our history," Erdogan added.
He backed a Gaza "liberation" like Syria's recent changes, but warned against new instability.
"Türkiye will not allow déjà vu in Syria. This principled stance of ours is not against our Kurdish brothers, but on the contrary, it is in their favor," he said.
"This is a step towards saving our region from terrorism. We are all journeyers to a common future. When we act with common sense, when we approach the future nourished by a thousand years of shared history, we will, God willing, solve every problem and thwart every scheme."
On the economy, he said: "Our priority is to permanently solve the people's cost of living problem. We plan to bring inflation below 30 percent by the end of this year, and below 20 percent in 2026."
"2026 will be a reform year for Türkiye's economy. From industry to technology, agriculture to energy, we're launching a major transformation across all sectors. We'll strengthen fiscal discipline in local governments and boost transparency, accountability and efficiency in the public sector."
