Top Turkish, US diplomats gather in Washington for talks

WASHINGTON

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his American counterpart, Marco Rubio, began talks Tuesday at the State Department in Washington.

Fidan and Rubio posed for the media at the agency.

It marks Fidan’s first visit under President Donald Trump’s administration and will focus on strengthening relations, as well as preparing for future high-level visits between the two nations.

Fidan is expected to meet other senior US officials.

Discussions will cover a range of regional issues, including the situations in Ukraine, Palestine and Syria, with an emphasis on exploring further opportunities for cooperation.

Fidan is expected to convey Ankara's positions on key regional matters, particularly its support for Syria’s stability and territorial integrity.

The importance of lifting sanctions on Syria and expanding Türkiye-US cooperation in humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts will also be discussed. Additionally, the fight against the Daesh/ISIS terror group and the management of refugee camps will be addressed.

The meetings will also focus on strengthening cooperation in combating terrorism, including efforts to dismantle PKK/YPG elements under the "Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)" umbrella and combating the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Fidan will highlight Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and support for US-led ceasefire initiatives, offering to further contribute to those efforts.

'Significant momentum'

The talks will also address the need for greater efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, facilitate humanitarian aid into the enclave and the US using its influence on Israel.

The discussions will touch on the lifting of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions, Türkiye’s return to the F-35 program and removing barriers to defense industry procurement.

Fidan will stress aligning defense industry cooperation with geopolitical realities, with hopes of achieving a $100 billion trade target.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that relations with the US can gain "significant momentum."

"I believe that we should and will achieve this for the sake of our region despite all the challenges, despite especially lobbies seeking to poison the two countries’ cooperation," Erdogan told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.

Erdogan and US President Donald Trump held a call March 16 to discuss ties and regional issues.

“We have discussed many important issues, including the lifting of all the obstacles before our $100 billion trade goal, during our pretty sincere phone call. We discussed in detail current critical developments in our region, Syria in particular," Erdogan said.