Sean Patrick Maloney: “I rise today to urge the Department of State not to issue an export license for the sale of attack helicopters to…”

“I rise today to urge the Department of State not to issue an export license for the sale of attack helicopters to Turkey. As my colleagues are aware, in July of this year, the Turkish government announced that it had awarded a $4 billion contract for attack helicopters to the American company Bell-Textron. However, before the sale can take place, the Department of State must issue an export license and its decision must take into account both foreign policy and human rights considerations. As I look at these considerations, it is clear to me that sending 145 attack helicopters to Turkey runs directly counter to American interests and values in the region. The United States has a national interest in fostering peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Recent developments in this regard have been encouraging, in particular the thaw in relations between Greece and Turkey. Yet, the sale of attack helicopters threatens to reverse this positive trend and unleash a regional arms race. This is not in our interest. It is also not in our interest to see these helicopters used not for legitimate self-defense or NATO purposes but instead to terrorize and threaten. Turkey has had a long record of using U.S.-supplied military equipment in direct violation of U.S. law.”