Turkish, US officials discuss regional developments

Senior Turkish and U.S. presidential advisors discussed ongoing developments, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in Syria and the elections in Greece, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Daily Sabah.

In a phone call, Turkish Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also addressed other regional issues and bilateral ties, according to a statement by Türkiye’s Communication Directorate.

Kılıç and Sullivan exchanged views on next month’s NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius as well, the statement said, adding that they agreed to meet at the earliest opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl met Friday with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar.

Spokesman Lt. Col. David Herndon said in a statement Tuesday that during the meeting at the Pentagon, Kahl and Akçapar “discussed shared interests in strengthening NATO and reaffirmed commitments to work together as strategic allies.

“They also discussed the Department of Defense’s support to Turkiye’s military modernization needs and the importance of welcoming Sweden into NATO immediately,” it said.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and Akçapar chaired the fifth meeting Friday of the Türkiye-U.S. Strategic Mechanism Dialogue in Washington.

Türkiye and the U.S. were represented by delegations that included officials from the state and defense departments and Turkish foreign affairs and national defense ministries.

“Both delegations reconfirmed the critical importance of continued dialogue between Türkiye and the United States on bilateral, regional, and global issues through mutual high-level visits, including within the scope of the Strategic Mechanism Dialogue,” the State Department said in a statement.

“They committed to work on the preparations for the Strategic Mechanism Foreign Ministers Meeting,” it added at the time.