In Phone Call, Turkish, US Presidential Aides Discuss Ties, Regional Matters

In a Wednesday phone call, Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan exchanged views on a variety of subjects ahead of an expected meeting between the two countries' leaders.

The two officials spoke about bilateral relations, the issue of F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, global climate change, and developments in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, Greece, the Eastern Mediterranean, and other regional matters, the Turkish Presidency said in a statement.

The officials also discussed details of a planned meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden set to take place on the sidelines of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland which starts this Sunday.

During the talks, the two sides stressed the strategic importance of Turkish-US relations and the importance of mutual respect, understanding, and common interests as well as complying with international agreements.

Kalin underlined that Turkey is determined to continue its struggle against all terrorist groups, including the YPG/PKK and Daesh/ISIS, which threaten Turkey's border security and Syria's territorial integrity.

Turkey has criticized US support for the YPG/PKK, a Syrian splinter group of the PKK, a terror group responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people over the course of 35 years.

The two sides agreed that as two NATO allies, Turkey and the US should act in cooperation and solidarity in the face of global and regional threats such as climate change, terrorism, migration, and pandemics, the statement added.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz -