The New York Times on Thursday reported that last month’s brutal attack on protesters by members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security forces has jeopardized a $1.2 million deal for the purchase of semiautomatic handguns by Turkey for use by Erdogan’s security forces.
“With mounting outrage over the episode among American lawmakers and a continuing investigation by the State Department that could lead to criminal charges against some of the guards involved, the future of the sale now appears to be in question,” reported Nicholas Fandos for the New York Times.
According to the Times article, the State Department informed Congress a day before the attack that it was going to license the $1.2 million deal to Sig Sauer, the New Hampshire-based firearms maker, which would sell 1,600 semiautomatic pistols to a Turkish government-controlled intermediary the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Company, which according to the Times “the State Department describes as a Turkish-controlled group authorized to resell the weapons to the Department of Security of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.”
With the backlash the attack has received by lawmakers and the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s unanimous approval of proposed legislation to punish those involved with the attack last Friday, the deal seems to be in jeopardy but not completely off the table.
On Friday, The New York Times published an investigation of several videos from the incident, which clearly show that at least 24 of Erdogan’s guards, were involved in the attack.
In Thursday’s article in the Times, Fandos makes special reference to Senator John Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee who in a letter to the State Department opposed the sale of the arms.
“Senator Cardin is right to put the brakes on this proposed sale of U.S. fire-arms to Turkey, for use by President Erdogan’s bodyguards, right after the brutal March 16th attack by this same security detail against peaceful protesters here in Washington,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Suren Hamparian.
“This reckless sale should be cancelled and all arms sales or military aid to Turkey suspended until Erdogan has – at the very least – publicly apologized for the attack he ordered, waived immunity for those who beat American protesters, and ended his obstruction of justice for these crimes.”
The operative word is “MAY” cancel. I wouldn’t hold my breath. So far, not a peep from the White House……crickets……
“$1.2 Million Gun Deal for Erdogan’s Guards” has the world gone mad? Why would anyone want to waste that kind of money? Especially on another country that could be seconds away from turning on you? If this is where our tax dollars are going, then its an unnecessary waste of money.
Trump’s silence on this has lead to my reversal on supporting him. I suspect it’s because of his real estate dealing in Turkey/Azerbajian. He has to go.
Let’s stop whinnining and hire a good lawfirm with Class action experience and sue: Hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake here, and the money should be earmarked for refugee resettlement in Artsackh. Every new Armenian settler in Artsackh is another nail in Axerbaijan’s coffin. We need money for that. Armenia needs a million new residents, and Artsack could take in another million. We need to pay for babies to get that birth rate going again. Cash prizes, for every new child, food supplements, all cost money. There should be a ship chartered to pick up boat loads of Armenian refugees from the Syrian port of Latakia. Straight to Armenia.