4 ay önce

Türkiye, US hold 'constructive' high-level defence group meeting

Top defence-related issues between the countries include Ankara's bid to purchase F-16 fighter jets, Sweden's NATO membership, and Türkiye's fight against terrorism.

Reuters

The Turkish president has suggested the US take steps on the F-16s as Türkiye takes steps on Sweden's NATO accession bid, perhaps before the end of the year. / Photo: Reuters

Türkiye and the United States have held a "positive and constructive" high-level defence meeting in the US capital Washington, DC, the Turkish National Defence Ministry has said.

In Thursday's meeting, "discussions and exchange of views were held on regional and global security issues as well as on bilateral defence, military training, and defence industry cooperation," said a ministry statement on Friday.

The next meeting is expected to be held next year in Türkiye, it added.

Top defence-related issues between the countries include Ankara's bid to purchase F-16 fighter jets from the US, Sweden's NATO membership, and Türkiye's fight against terrorism, including the terror group PKK and its Syrian offshoot YPG, which the US supports.

Officials in both countries have raised the possibility that the Turkish parliament and US Congress might soon, at about the same time, take steps on the F-16 and Sweden issues.

Türkiye has long criticised US support for the terrorist group YPG. While Washington claims it fights Daesh terrorists with the help of its YPG allies, Ankara says using one terror group to fight another makes no sense.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is its Syrian branch.