Today.Az » World news » Top Turkish, US security officials agree to continue dialogue on global, regional issues
08 December 2022 [15:11] - Today.Az


By News Center

On December 7, Presidential Spokesperson Ambassador Ibrahim Kalin had a telephone conversation with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

During the call, in addition to bilateral political and economic relations, global and regional issues such as cooperation in the defense industry, the Russia-Ukraine war, the eastern Mediterranean, the issue of Swedish and Finnish membership of NATO, Syria, Iraq, and the fight against terrorism were discussed.

Ibrahim Kalin and the US national security adviser agreed to continue dialogue and consultation on global and regional matters.

Kalin and Jake Sullivan also exchanged views on bilateral political and economic matters, defense industry cooperation, Russia's war on Ukraine, developments in the eastern Mediterranean, the issue of Swedish and Finnish membership of NATO, and other regional issues, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.

Kalin expressed satisfaction with the meeting at the leaders' level on the sidelines of the G-20 Bali Summit. The two officials also agreed to continue dialogue and consultations regarding global and regional matters.

On Sweden and Finland's NATO bids, Kalin welcomed the progress made by the two Nordic countries, urging those nations to honor commitments under the tripartite agreement.

Kalin further said that Turkiye and the US should focus on strategic and common interests as two NATO allies.

He also conveyed Turkiye’s expectations regarding the “unconditional completion of the approval process of the F-16 procurement and modernization request by the US Congress,” the statement said.

On the Ukraine war, the Turkish official stressed the need for a return to the negotiation table. He reaffirmed Turkiye’s resolute diplomatic initiatives, including prisoner swaps and grain deals that could pave the way for a cease-fire.

He underlined that Turkiye targets PKK/PYD/YPG terrorist groups, which poses threat to the country's national security, in its operation in Syria and Iraq.

He reiterated that Turkiye has the right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Convention.

Last month, Turkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword in northern Iraq and Syria, a cross-border aerial campaign against the terror group PKK/YPG, which has illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan and sometimes execute attacks on Turkish soil.

After the air operation was launched on November 20, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also signaled a ground operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terror threat.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations along its northern borders with Syria, codenamed Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019) to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable peaceful life of border villages.



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