Türkiye, US convene ‘strategic mechanism’ to discuss ties

ANKARA

Senior officials from the Turkish and American foreign ministries were due to convene on June 23 to discuss bilateral ties and international developments within the framework of the Strategic Mechanism.

“An interagency delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Burak Akçapar will be holding consultations with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and senior U.S. officials on June 23, 2023, in Washington D.C. within the framework of the Türkiye-U.S. Strategic Mechanism,” read a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry late on June 22.

“Bilateral relations, regional issues and international developments will be discussed during the consultations,” it added.

The talks in Washington follow the first bilateral meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that took place in London on June 21. Fidan and Blinken discussed important matters on the bilateral agenda, including Türkiye’s demand to purchase 40 new F-16s and the agenda of the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, particularly the Swedish bid to join the alliance.

Türkiye says Sweden must do more in terms of anti-terror cooperation with Türkiye if it wants to join the security alliance. The U.S. and other prominent allies press on Türkiye to ratify the Swedish bid before the Vilnius summit in mid-July.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he is planning to attend the summit.