[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 197 (Monday, December 19, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S7279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Turkey

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, a few days ago, in front of a townhall 
in northern Turkey, President Erdogan threatened a missile strike on 
Athens.

       Greece is afraid of our missile. They say that the Typhoon 
     Missile will hit Athens.

  Then he addressed the Greek people directly and said:

       It will, unless you stay calm.

  This is a NATO member directly threatening to target Athens, a city 
of 3 million civilians. According to the United Nations, an intentional 
attack on civilians--an intentional attack on civilians--is a war 
crime.
  I come to the floor today to condemn the recent actions of the 
Turkish President, which are not only disturbing, they are totally 
unacceptable. For years, Erdogan has pursued repressive, anti-
democratic policies at home and abroad, from criminalizing insults of 
Turkey and freedom of expression, to the suppression of dissent and 
political opposition figures. Erdogan has jailed and silenced so many 
pro-democracy and human rights activists that at one point, there were 
more lawyers and journalists in Turkish jails than anywhere else in the 
world.
  His government continues to try to hide the truth about the Armenian 
genocide, prosecuting writers and historians. In 2008, one of the 
journalists who wrote about the genocide was assassinated on the 
streets of Istanbul.
  As violent as Erdogan's tenure has been at home, his foreign policy 
has been absolutely awful. On the eve of Baku's war in Nagorno-
Karabakh, Turkey sold Azerbaijan $77 million of military equipment that 
was used to attack innocent Armenians.
  It is no surprise that Erdogan met in Tehran this summer with the 
Russian and Iranian Presidents, some of the world's most brutal 
dictators. Just look at the leaders he collaborates with. It is because 
he shares their world view, and you can see this clearly in the way he 
approaches the region.
  Five decades after Turkey's illegal occupation of Cyprus, Erdogan is 
still stoking divisions on the island. Last year, he proposed reopening 
the Cypriot town of Varosha in an attempt to spread Turkish influence. 
That is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that was 
condemned by the European Union. This September, Erdogan threatened to 
reinforce the already 40,000 Turkish troops in Cyprus with more land, 
naval, and aerial weapons, ammunition, and vehicles. Clearly, Erdogan 
looks at Putin's illegal annexation of parts of Ukraine and is taking 
note. That is what makes President Erdogan's recent comments about 
launching missile attacks on Greece so disconcerting.
  We have seen Erdogan challenge Greek sovereignty repeatedly. This 
summer, he sent fighter jets over the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. 
His threats to strike Athens fit a pattern of Turkish claims to what is 
Greek territory. He has said Turkish forces may land in Greece 
``suddenly one night.''
  He seems to be increasing his illegal autocratic behavior in the 
runup to the elections in Turkey next year. In November, he launched an 
air, artillery, and drone assault on Kurdish cities in northern Syria 
and suggested ground forces would soon follow. ``Payback time,'' 
Turkey's Ministry of National Defense tweeted, announcing the operation 
against the Kurds who have long been a target of Erdogan's wrath, 
attacking the very forces that are essential U.S. partners in combating 
ISIS, and in doing so, putting at risk U.S. troops in Syria.
  He has been out for revenge at home too. Just last week, one of 
Erdogan's political rivals, the popular mayor of Istanbul, was 
sentenced to prison for 2\1/2\ years. The charge? Insulting members of 
the Supreme Electoral Council. The charge was insulting members of the 
Supreme Electoral Council. That would be the equivalent of an American 
being put in jail for 2\1/2\ years for insulting some State electoral 
commission or the Federal Election Commission or any entity as such. 
And in case the prison sentence didn't send a clear enough message, the 
court also imposed a political ban on the mayor.
  Erdogan might be using this aggression and oppression as a diversion, 
no doubt, from the dire failure of his own economy, he might be doing 
it out of spite, or he might be doing it because he is a thug. But one 
thing is clear: The United States must take the Turkish President's 
actions seriously. Those who just simply say: Oh, well, he is a lot of 
bluster--they do so at risk. They said Putin was bluster, and we have a 
war in the European continent.
  We need to hold Erdogan accountable for his behavior when he violates 
international laws or challenges democratic norms or allows his forces 
to commit human rights abuses. That is why I am calling for free and 
fair elections in Turkey. I am asking the international community of 
democracies to condemn Erdogan's jailing of his political opponent. I 
want our allies to use their leverage to try to prevent further 
incursions into northeastern Syria. And I am demanding that Erdogan end 
all overflights of Greece and pull every last Turkish soldier out of 
Cyprus.
  I think, given all of his recent behavior, the United States should 
not be putting F-16 fighter jets in President Erdogan's hands. That is 
why, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will not 
approve any F-16s for Turkey until he halts his campaign of aggression 
across the entire region. I am sure this won't make me many friends in 
Ankara, and President Erdogan has criticized me personally, calling me 
an enemy of the state. But if standing up to human rights abuses makes 
me an enemy of Erdogan's; if calling out Turkey, under Erdogan, for 
arming Azerbaijan and enabling the massacre of innocent Armenian 
civilians makes me an enemy of Erdogan's; if demanding Turkey 
recognizes Greek and Cypriot sovereignty makes me an enemy of 
Erdogan's, that is a badge I will wear with honor.
  So to my colleagues here in the Senate, I will close by saying do not 
be afraid to stand up for American values in the face of Erdogan's 
aggression.
  To the international community, do not hesitate to hold Turkey 
accountable for violating international law.
  To the citizens living in the shadow of Erdogan's Typhoon missiles, 
do not forget the United States stands shoulder to shoulder with you.
  To those people in Turkey who still hope for a free, democratic 
future, do not give up. One day soon, with your bravery, peace and 
prosperity will return to your homeland.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
confirmation vote on the Gruenberg nomination occur following the 
completion of my remarks and those of Senator Brown.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.