Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın and his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan agreed to continue dialogue and consultation on global and regional matters in a phone call held on Wednesday.
Kalın and Sullivan exchanged views on bilateral political and economic matters, defense industry cooperation, Russia's war on Ukraine, developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Sweden and Finland's NATO accession bids and other regional issues, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.
Kalın expressed satisfaction about the meeting held at the leader level on the sidelines of last month's G-20 summit in Bali.
The two officials also agreed to continue dialogue and consultations regarding global and regional matters.
On Sweden and Finland's NATO bids, Kalın welcomed the progress made by the two Nordic countries as he stated that all commitments in the tripartite agreement should be fulfilled.
Kalın further said that Türkiye and the U.S. should focus on strategic and common interests as two NATO allies.
He also conveyed Türkiye's expectations regarding the "unconditional completion of the approval process of the F-16 procurement and modernization request by the U.S. Congress," the statement said.
Regarding the Ukraine war, the Turkish official stressed the need to return to the negotiation table. He reaffirmed Türkiye's determined diplomatic initiatives, including the prisoner swap and grain deal, that could pave the way for a cease-fire.
He underlined that Türkiye targets the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, which pose a threat to the country's national security, in its operation in Syria and Iraq.
He reiterated that Türkiye has the right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the U.N. Convention.
Last month, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword in northern Iraq and Syria, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK/YPG terrorist group, 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 Nov. 20, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 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 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).
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
