Turkey, US launch joint strategic mechanism to expand cooperation

With a top American diplomat visiting the Turkish capital, Turkey and the U.S. on Monday launched a strategic mechanism to further expand the countries’ bilateral cooperation, according to a joint statement.

“In keeping with the commitment made by Presidents (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan and (Joe) Biden during their meeting in Rome in October 2021, Turkey and the United States launched the Turkey-U.S. Strategic Mechanism on April 4 in Ankara,” said a joint press release issued the day Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal received U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland in Ankara.

During their meeting, the top diplomats reviewed topics of mutual interest, including economic and defense cooperation, counterterrorism, and key areas of shared regional and global interest.

The U.S. welcomes Turkey’s efforts “to facilitate a just, negotiated diplomatic solution” to end the war in Ukraine, the statement said.

The two sides also stressed their shared commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“U.S. Department of Commerce Under Secretary Marisa Lago will visit Ankara on April 5-6 to advance the economic and trade cooperation goals of the Strategic Mechanism,” it added.

The joint press release also stated that Turkey and the U.S. look forward to a ministerial-level meeting later in 2022 within the framework of the strategic mechanism.