Garcia: French Company Submits The Most Advantageous Proposal In F-16 Tender

ANKARA, Feb 5 (A.A) - French Ambassador in Ankara Bernard Garcia said on Tuesday that the French company, which attended F-16 defense tender opened by Turkish Armed Forces, made a more advantageous proposal when compared with the other companies. Garcia said the final decision would be given by the Turkish goverment.
Garcia announced the aid package of his country to Turkey after the strong earthquake in Aegean Afyon province. Garcia also evaluted the level of relations between the two countries following the adoption of so-called genocide on Armenians, and the point reached particularly in defense field.
When recalled the news reports that the Aselsan-Mikes partnership instead of French company Thales won the bidding for the modernization of F-16 planes, Garcia said they have not received any official information about this.
Speaking about the results of the tender, Garcia said Turkey was a sovereign country, and that the decision belonged to it, yet he said he found it beneficial to remind some points.
Garcia said the equipment, that would be assembled to F-16 planes were made in the U.S., but that the assemblers were French.
Garcia also said the French company was positive toward the technology transfer which Ankara attributed a great importance, noting that he did not think that other companies made a better proposal.
Garcia said Richard, following his meetings with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and National Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, said the Turkish side attributed importance to the ''technology transfer'' and noted that officials of the two sides discussed their plans to launch joint initiatives on military issues and set up a joint defense industry.
Garcia said draft resolutions for the establishment of a joint industry were also discussed, noting that France is positive toward the issue of defense industry. He said France had its first nuclear weapons during the period of De Gaulle, and that it continued efforts up to now.
Garcia said it was natural for Turkey and France to launch a joint initiative because point of view of the two countries to the incidents are the same.
Garcia said the aid sent by the French administration should not be considered as a gesture made to Turkey following the decision on so-called genocide on Armenians, and noted that the aid did not have any connection with the Turkish-French relations. He said relations between two countries may sour from time to time, but relations between the Turkish and French people have a past.