Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken will meet in New York on Wednesday for the first meeting of the Turkey-United States Strategic Mechanism at the foreign ministers level.
Anadolu Agency (AA) compiled the details of Çavuşoğlu's visit to the U.S. and the issues to be addressed at the foreign ministers' meeting as well as the current state of bilateral relations.
The minister will attend the first-ever International Migration Review Forum within the margins of the U.N. General Assembly.
He will also attend the Global Food Security Call to Action ministerial meeting to be hosted by Blinken and hold bilateral meetings.
Çavuşoğlu and Blinken are expected to discuss all aspects of Turkish-American relations as part of the strategic mechanism.
The first step of the strategic mechanism was taken during the meetings of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in Rome on Oct. 31, 2021.
Erdoğan and Biden agreed to establish a strategic mechanism that promotes high-level dialogue and addresses issues on which Turkey and the U.S. do not fully agree, along with issues they are working on.
During the April 4 visit of the U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to Ankara, the Turkey-U.S. Strategic Mechanism was launched, with the meeting at the level of foreign ministers to be aimed for this year.
The invitation for the ministerial meeting came from Blinken during the process of the strategic mechanism that has been progressing positively.
Çavuşoğlu said Blinken invited him and that they will meet on Wednesday, noting: "We want this mechanism to be result-oriented. We want both sides to take steps in this regard."
The topics of common interest for the two countries, including the economic and defense cooperation, counter-terrorism, and regional and global issues will be discussed in Wednesday's ministerial meeting.
The initiation of the strategic mechanism became an important step for activating the bilateral dialogue mechanisms and maintaining deep-rooted alliance relations at all levels on the axis of diplomacy.
It is foreseen that the two countries' close and result-oriented dialogue at all levels to resolve differences of opinion and better evaluate the existing opportunities will give a positive impetus to the relations.
Trade and investment are at the forefront among the most important areas to work together for both Turkey and the U.S. that focus on strengthening cooperation while repairing relations for the future through the strategic mechanism.
Among various problems that harm Turkey-U.S. relations is the U.S.' cooperation with the terrorist organization PKK's Syrian branch, the YPG, its attitude toward the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), disagreements over the S-400, and Washington's sanctions against Turkey.
The announcement of the new mechanism comes after the decades-old partnership between the two NATO allies, Turkey and the U.S., saw unprecedented tumult in recent years over disagreements on many issues, including Syria and Ankara’s closer ties with Moscow. There are additional sources of strain for the two countries, including the U.S.' support for the YPG and the continued U.S. residency of Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) figures, including its head Fetullah Gülen who plotted the failed coup attempt against the Turkish government in 2016.
The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group, but Turkey has strongly opposed the YPG's presence in northern Syria.
Moreover, the U.S. sanctioned the Turkish defense industry in December 2020 over its pıurchase of Russian S-400s missile systems and has expelled its ally from its F-35 fighter jet program. Ankara has called the moves unjust, but the allies have since been working to set aside differences and focus on cooperation, including Ukraine.
In the meeting between Çavuşoğlu and Blinken, it is expected that the Turkish side will once again express its expectation from the U.S. to take new and concrete cooperation steps in the fight against terrorism.
Also, Turkey's demand from the U.S. to take a clear stance against the FETÖ terrorist group remains on the table in all contacts between the two countries and is expected to come to the fore at the ministerial meeting.
During the meeting, expectations will be expressed for the U.S. sanctions to be replaced by cooperation, and that the steps taken by Turkey in line with its security needs will not be associated with sanctions.
Meanwhile, in the bilateral relations, negotiations on the purchase of new generation F-16s and the modernization of existing F-16s also remain fresh.
It is also aimed that the strategic mechanism will contribute positively to the bilateral consultation and coordination on global and regional developments.
In the Çavuşoğlu-Blinken meeting, it is expected that the current developments about the Ukraine-Russia war and discussions about the NATO membership process of Finland and Sweden will be addressed.
Developments in Turkey-Armenia relations may also be included within the meeting agenda.
Turkey wants to resolve issues with the U.S., Çavuşoğlu said Tuesday.
