“In keeping with the commitment made by Presidents Erdoğan and Biden during their meeting in Rome in October 2021, Türkiye and the United States launched the Türkiye-U.S. Strategic Mechanism on April 4 in Ankara. Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, with their respective delegations, met in Ankara to review topics of mutual interest, including economic and defense cooperation, counterterrorism, and key areas of shared regional and global interest. They reiterated their shared commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The United States welcomed Türkiye’s efforts to facilitate a just, negotiated diplomatic solution to end the war,” the statement said.

The statement noted that 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.”

"Türkiye and the United States look forward to a Ministerial-level meeting within the framework of the Strategic Mechanism later in 2022," the statement underlined. (ILKHA)