26.03.2025 09:53
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. During the meeting, both sides clearly expressed their political will to remove the obstacles to cooperation in the defense industry. Recently, U.S. media also reported that Trump is open to the idea of selling F-35s to Turkey.
According to information obtained from diplomatic sources, the meeting between Minister Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Rubio in Washington followed up on the topics discussed during the phone call between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Sources reported that both sides clearly expressed their political will to remove obstacles to cooperation in the defense industry and that technical discussions would be held to resolve existing issues between the two parties.
GAZA-SYRIA AND UKRAINE WERE DISCUSSED
Sources indicated that the parties emphasized the importance of engagement with the Syrian administration, stating that the determination to ensure stability in Syria and combat terrorism was expressed.
Sources noted that Fidan conveyed to Rubio the necessity of establishing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting its importance for regional peace.
Sources reported that efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine were discussed, and Turkey expressed its support for the efforts put forth by the U.S. in this regard.
Sources stated that the meeting addressed upcoming visits at the presidential level, discussed the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and emphasized the significance of Bosnia and Herzegovina's stability for the Balkans.
From the Turkish side, Turkey's Ambassador to Washington Sedat Önal, the Director General of Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Director General of Foreign Policy Coordination, and Ministry Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli attended, while from the U.S. side, Senior Bureau Official Lou Bono responsible for European and Eurasian Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary Josh Huck responsible for European and South Caucasus Affairs, the State Department Spokesperson, and the Director for Southeast Europe participated.
TRUMP OPEN TO THE IDEA OF SELLING F-35s
Recently, it was reported that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to lift sanctions on Turkey and sell F-35 fighter jets following his phone call with President Tayyip Erdoğan.
The report stated, "Trump indicated that he is open to the idea of selling F-35 aircraft to Turkey if the two sides reach an agreement that would render Turkey's S-400s inoperable."
According to the report, for the sale of the mentioned aircraft to Turkey, the U.S. would need to lift the sanctions imposed under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), and Trump asked his team to work on "how Turkey could avoid CAATSA sanctions."