Turkish foreign minister's meeting with US counterpart begins in Washington

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Wednesday began meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss bilateral relations including F-16 fighter jets and regional issues in Washington, D.C.

The two top diplomats are sitting down together in the US capital as part of Türkiye-US Strategic Mechanism.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Çavuşoğlu said they will address "significant topics" about bilateral defense cooperation, particularly Türkiye's F-16 request.

He said the sale of the jets is not important for Türkiye but also for NATO and the US. "So we expect the approval in the line with our joint strategic interest," said Çavuşoğlu.

The mechanism was launched last April following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Rome.

Erdogan and Biden agreed to establish a mechanism that promotes high-level dialogue and addresses issues on which Türkiye and the US do not fully agree, along with issues they are working on.

A day before Çavuşoğlu's meeting, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland held consultations within the framework of the mechanism.

Çavuşoğlu and Blinken last year held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York and NATO summit in Romania, but this is Çavuşoğlu's first official visit to Washington.

ISSUES FOR TOP DIPLOMATS' MEETING

During their meeting, the two top diplomats are expected to discuss Türkiye's request for the sale of new F-16 jets and modernization kits, Finland and Sweden's NATO membership bids, the Ukraine war, and the latest developments in Syria.

Last October Ankara made a request to Washington for 40 F-16 jets and modernization kits, while the State Department last week informally notified the Congress of the potential sale.

After his talks with Blinken, Çavuşoğlu will head to Houston, Texas to inaugurate the new chancellery office of Türkiye's Consulate General there.

On the last day of his visit, he will hold several meetings in New York, including one with Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

Turkish-US relations have been strained in recent years due to US support for the PYD-YPG/PKK terrorist group in northern Syria and disagreements over Türkiye's purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system in 2017.

In 2019, under then-President Donald Trump, the US removed Türkiye from the F-35 joint strike fighter program over Ankara's purchase of an S-400. Ankara has repeatedly underlined that the S-400 poses no risk to the F-35s.

In recent months, top US officials have praised Türkiye's mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine, and its role in brokering the landmark grain deal, which allowed millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to be transported to many countries, easing the global food crisis.