The four-member American delegation led by Congressman Mike Rogers met with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler. The US ambassador to Ankara, Jeffrey Flake, was also present at the meeting.
The presence of the four American congressmen in Ankara resulted in the indirect confirmation of the information that existed until now about the May 9 visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Washington and his meeting with President Joe Biden.
As it became known, the preparation of Erdogan’s visit to the United States was among the issues discussed by the American delegation at the Turkish Ministry of Defense, but it will also be on the agenda of their scheduled meeting today with the head of the MIT intelligence service, Ibrahim Kalin.
According to information from Turkish sources, the content of the talks at the Ministry of Defense was wide-ranging and included, among other things, the process of procurement and modernization of Turkish F-16 fighters, as well as the removal of objections from Congress to Turkey’s defense procurement. Turkey is also seeking a solution to the amount it has paid for the F-35s and has not been reimbursed by the US after it was kicked out of the program.
CNN Turk reported that after the US Congress’s supportive stance on the F-16 purchase process from Turkey, there are now reviews of the purchase contract. The procurement of F-16s as soon as possible and the lifting of restrictions on the defense industry were on the agenda of the meetings with the members of the Commission. First they were given the list of sales that have been blocked by Congress so far. And the prospects for deeper cooperation in the defense industry were conveyed to them, reports the correspondent of the television network in Ankara.
A matter of particular importance for Turkey in its relations with the US are developments in the Kurdish region. Ankara is preparing for a broad military operation in northern Iraq against members of the PKK organization that acts against Turkey, while a point of friction with Washington is US support for a Kurdish militia in northern Syria, which the Turkish government links to the PKK.
The committee members reportedly asked for Ankara’s views on Syria. “As is well known, the withdrawal of the US from Syria is on the agenda, although it has not yet been finalized. What can be done before and after has been discussed for some time,” commented CNN Turk.
The agenda of the talks also included dealing with the “Islamic State”, a topic that is also linked to the developments in northern Syria, the Turkish contribution to NATO, Ankara’s objections to the American presence in the Black Sea, relations with Russia, the developments and Turkey’s role around the war in Gaza.
Members of the US House Armed Services Committee arrived in Ankara from Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.
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