ArmInfo.Members of the US Congress David Cicilline (D-RI) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) are leading a bi-partisan call on the State Department to suspend export licenses for U.S. drone technology to Turkey, pending an official investigation into the destabilizing role of Turkey's drone programs in the Caucasus, South Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, and around the globe, reported by ANCA (Armenian National Committee of America).
According to the source, the Hellenic American Leadership Association (HALC), American Friends of Kurdistan, Hindu American Foundation, In Defense of Christians, Middle East Forum, and ANCA are leading a growing coalition of U.S. groups supporting the effort.
On Friday, Representatives Cicilline and Bilirakis urged U.S. House members to join them in cosigning a letter calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to issue a report on the broader ramifications of Turkey's drone industry; whether they include U.S. technologies that violate currently imposed sanctions; and whether Turkey's actions constitute yet another violation of NATO rules and bylaws.
"Over the last year, Turkish drones have been deployed by Azerbaijan against Armenian civilians in Artsakh, Syria; against Kurdish forces that have partnered with the U.S. in the war against ISIS; and in Libya's civil war," states the letter which cites battlefield evidence from Artsakh confirming the use of U.S. technology in Turkey's Bayrakdar drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Armenians.