Türkiye, US agree to expand cooperation

Türkiye and the United States have agreed to further deepen their cooperation in all domains of mutual interest and intensify dialogue at all levels at a Strategic Mechanism meeting that addressed the former's demand to buy 40 F-16s and Sweden's bid to join NATO.

"As NATO Allies and partners, Türkiye and the United States reiterated their commitment to further deepen their robust cooperation in all domains of mutual interest. They committed to expand and intensify bilateral political, defense and security consultations at all levels, and to strengthen their comprehensive partnership in line with the strategic interests of both countries," read a joint statement issued following the Türkiye-U.S. Strategic Mechanism Dialogue on June 23, 2023, in Washington.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland chaired the meeting in which the two sides were represented by interagency delegations that included officials from the Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defense and the United States Departments of State and Defense.

The statement stressed that both sides concurred that Türkiye-U.S. defense and security cooperation contributes to regional peace, and discussed progress on Türkiye's request to modernize its F-16 fleet.

Türkiye wants the supply of 40 new F-16s from the U.S., but it requires the congressional consent as well. The U.S. congressmen seem to approve the sale only after Ankara greenlights Sweden's application to NATO.

Swedish accession also on the agenda

According to the statement, the two sides reviewed preparations for the upcoming NATO summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12.

Türkiye and...