F-16s Sold to Turkey Are Used Against Armenia, Senator Rand Paul

Rand Paul, a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has condemned the use of F-16s by Turkey and Azerbaijan in attacks against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. This was reported by the Armenian National Committee of America.

The senator called for the adoption of a resolution regarding Congressional disapproval of the sale of F-16s and other military goods to the Turkish government. Among the numerous reasons for blocking the sale of F-16s to Turkey, Paul recalled the Armenian Ministry of Defense's claim that a Turkish F-16 shot down an Armenian SU-25 aircraft in Armenia’s airspace on September 29, 2020.

“Turkey has been closely aligned with its ally Azerbaijan in its efforts to dominate the region, providing combat drones, military equipment, training, and, if we believe the Armenian government, direct combat support. Therefore, our aircraft—the F-16s that we give to the Turks—are effectively being used in another war against Armenia,” the senator stated.

According to him, the war in 2020 and subsequent military actions in 2023 have resulted in thousands of casualties and created a humanitarian disaster, leading to the displacement of more than 100,000 people.

Senator Paul’s resolution has garnered bipartisan support from fellow senators; however, it has not received enough votes to be adopted.