The head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Ibrahim Kalın headed to the United States for discussions, sources said Monday.
Kalın will hold a meeting with the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns and other intelligence officials in Washington, D.C. He will also hold discussions with officials from the White House, the Congress and the State Department.
The issues on Kalın's agenda include Türkiye's fight against terrorist groups, including the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the PKK/YPG and Daesh. He will also touch upon the developments in Iraq and Syria and discuss the ongoing cease-fire efforts in Gaza, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war and the situation in the Caucasus.
Ties between the countries have long been strained by issues ranging from Türkiye's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems to U.S. support for the PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot YPG, which occupies chunks of northern Syria close to the Turkish border.
Türkiye has consistently opposed U.S. backing for the YPG because of its ties to the PKK, which is listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and EU. The PKK is responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people during the course of its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
The U.S. argued that the Russian S-400 system could be used by Russia to covertly obtain classified details on the Lockheed Martin F-35 jets and is incompatible with NATO systems. Türkiye, however, insists that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems and would not pose a threat to the alliance. Turkish officials have also repeatedly said that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems.
