US, Türkiye seek to boost defense cooperation

A source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on March 26 that Turkey and the US are conducting negotiations to remove obstacles in defense cooperation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks in Ankara. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

According to the source, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan began a two-day visit to Washington, starting on March 25. During the meeting, the two foreign ministers "clearly affirmed their political determination to remove barriers to cooperation in the defense industry." The two sides also continued to discuss issues previously mentioned by President Donald Trump and President Tayyip Erdogan.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his US counterpart Marco Rubio also discussed the organization of future visits at the level of heads of state, but did not provide further details. In addition, the two sides also stressed the importance of maintaining stability in Syria and the Balkans, and discussed efforts to bring peace and end the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the need to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Fidan's visit comes as Türkiye seeks warmer ties with the United States under the Trump administration and just days after a phone call between Trump and Erdogan that Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, described as "very positive."

Sources close to the talks said the phone call between the two leaders could provide positive momentum for talks in the coming days, although no commitments were made.

Relations between the US and Türkiye have been rocky recently as disagreements between the two NATO allies have increased. The US previously removed Türkiye from the F-35 sixth-generation fighter jet program after Ankara purchased Russia's S-400 air defense missile system in 2019.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/the-gioi/my-tho-nhi-ky-tim-cach-thuc-day-hop-tac-quoc-phong-20250326134738306.htm