2 yıl önce

Türkiye, US agree to widen cooperation on defence, regional issues

Senior officials from both sides hold third meeting of their Strategic Mechanism Dialogue to review bilateral ties and discuss strategic global and regional issues.

AA

Both sides say they look forward to reviewing progress and exploring new areas of cooperation during the next round of the Dialogue.

Senior Turkish and US officials have met in Washington where they reaffirmed their commitment to promote peace and stability and to further deepen and strengthen the enduring defence partnership.

Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sedat Onal and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman chaired the Türkiye-US Strategic Mechanism Dialogue meeting on Thursday while US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland also participated in the meeting.

Both sides "reaffirmed their strong cooperation as partners and NATO allies and engaged in substantive dialogue on strategic global and regional issues and areas of bilateral cooperation," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Despite security issues, Turkish and American officials reviewed economic and cultural relationships that support ties and agreed to enhance their fields of cooperation, the statement added.

Türkiye and US trade volume stands over $27 billion and Turkish exports to the US have topped $14 billion, according to numbers provided by the Turkish Foreign Ministry for 2021.

Officials also have tapped the energy deliveries as both sides "reaffirmed their mutual efforts to work to promote energy supply, access, efficiency, and independence."

Fight against terrorism

One of the topics that frayed relations between Ankara and Washington is fighting against terrorism.

The US has declared to arm the YPG in Syria, as a tool to fight against Daesh, a move that Türkiye sees as a threat to its territorial integrity.

YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK which has been listed as a foreign terrorist organisation by both US and Türkiye.

"They underscored the need to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," the statement said.

Since 2016, Türkiye has conducted several major operations against YPG/PKK and Daesh to root out terrorist organisations from its borders.

The US is also hosting Fetullah Gulen, leader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, the man who orchestrated the military coup attempt on the Turkish elected government in July 2016.

The coup attempt faced nationwide resistance in the country but it claimed over 250 lives and wounded more than 2,200 people in the country.

Transatlantic ties, Ukraine

Meeting also tapped on Transatlantic developments where both sides agreed to put importance on strengthening relations in the region.

"The delegations reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and discussed ways to further NATO coordination," the statement said.

The US welcomed the Türkiye-led grain deal that provided a safe passage to Ukraine's agricultural goods through the Black Sea, it added.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

Separately, the two delegations explored possible avenues of cooperation in various parts of the world, including the Middle East and Africa, and underlined the importance of promoting peace in the South Caucasus.

Türkiye-US Strategic Mechanism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Joe Biden met on October 31, 2021, in Rome and agreed to establish a strategic mechanism that promotes high-level dialogue and address issues where Türkiye and the US do not fully agree, along with issues they are working on.

During an April 4 visit by Nuland to Ankara, the mechanism was launched.

On May 18, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his US counterpart Antony Blinken met in New York for the first meeting "to reaffirm their strong cooperation as partners and NATO Allies," according to a statement from Türkiye and US.

The US has sanctioned several Turkish defence branches and officials after Ankara procured Russian-made S-400 missile defence systems.

Ankara says it had to buy what is best for Türkiye after Washington refused to sell Patriot systems.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies