Greek Lobbying Group Wants Washington to Cancel GE Engine Deal with Turkey

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) a Greek think tank based in Washington has appealed to the Trump administration to block the supply of General Electric F110 turbojet engines for the Turkish KAAN fighter jet.

The proposed deal is valued at over $700 million and was recently green-lighted by the U.S. administration.

In a communication to the U.S.government, it stresses that that Ankara continues to operate the Russian S-400 air defense system, which maintain the basis for the 2020 Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act  (CAATSA) under which Washington shut out Turkey from the F-35 program.

According to the Trump administration’s position, the supply of F110 engines is not formally linked to the CAATSA sanctions imposed on the fifth-generation fighter jet procurement and does not require the same export control procedures.

AHI President Nick Larigakis noted the lack of progress in resolving security issues related to the deployment of the S-400 air defense system. The institute also expressed concern about the administration's actions bypassing consultations with Congress, calling for the legislative branch's oversight role to be preserved.

Turkey is seeking the GE 414 engine for its KAAN fighter as an interim measure until its own domestic engine can come on stream. The GF110 engine is popularly used in several fighter projects in the world and blocking its sale to Turkey would only delay the KAAN project but not block it altogether.

Why is Greece opposed to Turkey?

Greece opposes Turkey due to territorial disputes in the Aegean Sea, overlapping claims regarding maritime boundaries and natural resources, and the ongoing division of Cyprus.

The Turkey-Greece animosity dates back to the 1974 Turkish military invasion of Cyprus, which was triggered by a Greek-backed military coup. Turkey maintains a military presence in the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which Greece considers an illegal occupation.

Trukey on its part says Greece has deployed the Russian S-300 air defense system without encountering American opposition and its buying the S-400 system has been unfairly treated.