The governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Turkey released the text of the following statement as part of the US-Turkey Strategic Mechanism.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held the fourth meeting of the US-Turkey Strategic Mechanism on January 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. Under the auspices of the strategic mechanism, Deputy State Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland also met with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal. The parties held an extensive dialogue in many areas of bilateral cooperation and emphasized the importance of our partnership as NATO allies.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Çavuşoğlu drew on partnership and interagency discussions led by high-level officials from the US State Department and the Turkish Foreign Ministry on January 17, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Çavuşoğlu reiterated their commitment to a concrete and results-oriented positive bilateral agenda. They discussed strengthening the US-Türkiye defense partnership, including the modernization of Türkiye’s F-16 fleet.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Çavuşoğlu emphasized their unequivocal support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia’s unacceptable war and reaffirmed their support for finding a solution to end the war. The United States thanked Türkiye for its role in brokering the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the two parties who planned the need for this life-saving mechanism to operate at the pace necessary to meet global grain demand.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Çavuşoğlu decided to strengthen coordination and cooperation to promote peace in the South Caucasus.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Çavuşoğlu discussed ways to strengthen NATO coordination and solidarity in the face of current threats and challenges. They reaffirmed their long-term commitment as allies to collective defense and NATO’s open door policy. The implementation of the tripartite memorandum signed between Finland, Sweden and Turkey was discussed in order to promote the request of Finland and Sweden to join the NATO alliance.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Çavuşoğlu discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and agreed on the importance of maintaining stability and communication channels.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Çavuşoğlu reiterated the need to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. In this regard, the United States and Turkey plan to hold counterterrorism consultations under the Strategic Mechanism, building on past cooperation through law enforcement and information sharing. The Secretary again condemned the November 13, 2022, terrorist attack in Istanbul and affirmed that the United States stands shoulder to shoulder with Turkey in the fight against terrorism. Both sides intended to maintain close coordination and cooperation in the fight against terrorist organizations, especially ISIS/Daesh and the PKK.
They discussed all aspects of the Syrian crisis and reiterated the commitment of the United States and Turkey to a Syrian-led political process in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. They welcomed the recent vote by the UN Security Council to expand the scope of cross-border deliveries. humanitarian aid to Syria. The two sides also discussed broader Middle East and African issues, including the need to strengthen regional stability and connectivity through economic and security cooperation.
Secretary Blinken and Minister Çavuşoğlu appreciated the continued growth of US-Turkey and bilateral trade relations. They reaffirmed the importance of economic cooperation and building on existing bilateral forums to support regional and global economic opportunities. Both sides supported climate and energy dialogue to promote energy security and the transition to a cleaner energy future.
They decided to continue their activities under the auspices of the Strategic Mechanism to review progress and maintain the momentum of their positive bilateral agenda. Both sides welcome the increase in the number of bilateral meetings under the Strategic Mechanism, including at the highest level.
