Turkish, US defense chiefs discuss 'bilateral and multilateral defense goals'

WASHINGTON

Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler spoke by phone late Monday with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on "shared bilateral and multilateral defense goals,” according to a statement by the US Defense Department.

"Secretary Austin and Minister Guler lauded the long history of military cooperation between the United States and Türkiye and applauded our continued close cooperation," said the readout of the phone call.

"They also discussed the positive talks between Türkiye, Sweden and NATO Secretary General (Jens) Stoltenberg, as well as the Department of Defense's support for Türkiye's military modernization," it added.

The phone call came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday agreed to send Sweden's NATO Accession Protocol to parliament after a trilateral meeting with Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ankara requested F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits from the US in October 2021. The $6 billion deal would include the sale of 40 jets as well as modernization kits for 79 warplanes already in the Turkish Air Force’s inventory.

Although the Biden administration repeatedly said it wants to move forward with the sale of F-16 jets to Türkiye, key lawmakers on Capitol Hill have vowed to nix the deal over several demands, including making the purchase contingent on Ankara's approval of Sweden's NATO membership bid.

Turkish and US officials have said that Sweden's NATO bid and the sale of the F-16 jets are not linked.