Turkish official meets US lawmakers to discuss defense cooperation, counterterrorism

Hulusi Akar, chairman of the Turkish Parliament's National Defense Committee, said on Thursday he held separate meetings with senior US lawmakers in Washington, DC.

Akar said he met with Rep. Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to exchange views on bilateral relations, defense and security cooperation, and regional and global developments, including Iran.

"We emphasized the importance of the strong defense cooperation between Türkiye and the US—including the F-35 program—for NATO’s deterrence and Euro-Atlantic security," Akar said.

They also agreed on the importance of maintaining constructive dialogue between the Turkish and US legislatures.

Following last week's NATO summit in the capital Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his US counterpart Donald Trump has taken a "positive approach" on delivering F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye while also saying that US sanctions against Ankara have been largely removed.

In 2019, during Trump's first term, the US suspended Türkiye from the F-35 program after objecting to its purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system, claiming the system would endanger the fighter jets.

In a separate meeting with Rep. Rick Crawford, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Akar said the two discussed bilateral ties, defense and security cooperation, and regional developments.

Akar said he outlined Türkiye's vision of a "Terror-Free Türkiye" as part of a broader "Terror-Free Region" strategy and stressed Ankara's expectation of stronger cooperation with the US in combating terrorism.

The two sides also reaffirmed the importance of sustained parliamentary dialogue between Türkiye and the US.