Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Burak Akçapar and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland chaired the fifth meeting of the Türkiye-U.S. Strategic Mechanism Dialogue on June 23, 2023, in Washington. Türkiye and the United States were represented by interagency delegations that included officials from the Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defense, and United States Departments of State and Defense.

As NATO Allies and partners, Türkiye and the United States reiterated their commitment to further deepen their robust cooperation in all domains of mutual interest. They committed to expand and intensify bilateral political, defense and security consultations at all levels, and to strengthen their comprehensive partnership in line with the strategic interests of both countries. They concurred that Türkiye-U.S. defense and security cooperation contributes to regional peace, and discussed progress on Türkiye’s request to modernize its F-16 fleet.

The delegations reviewed preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania July 11-12. Türkiye and the United States affirmed their strong support for NATO’s Open Door Policy. Both sides welcomed the membership of Finland to NATO, concurring that it substantially contributed to the strengthening of the Alliance. They explored avenues to further reinforce NATO’s deterrence and discussed implementation of the trilateral memorandum signed by Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden, and Sweden’s path to membership in the Alliance.

The Eastern Mediterranean was also on the agenda, whereby both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the maintenance of stability and dialogue based on the principles of cooperation and regional inclusion.

Türkiye and the United States reiterated their strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in face of Russia’s unacceptable war. Both sides pledged to continue to work closely with a view to finding a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the principles of the UN charter. The United States expressed its appreciation for Türkiye’s efforts in coordination with the UN to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has helped stabilize food prices around the world.

Both sides welcomed the steady rise in bilateral trade volume and renewed their commitment to advance their economic partnership to capitalize on opportunities, bolster resilient supply chains and enhance cooperation in areas of science and technology. Welcoming regular consultations on energy between Türkiye and the United States they expressed their mutual desire and common goal to contribute to global energy security through regional partnership and advance cooperation on sustainable clean energy, including civil nuclear energy. They also committed to establish a Climate and Energy Dialogue in the face of the challenges the new global energy landscape presents.

They also discussed concrete joint endeavors to advance Türkiye-U.S. cooperation in other regions, and reiterated their unwavering commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including ISIS/DAESH and PKK. Both sides committed to remain in close coordination to combat terrorist organizations and root causes of terrorism.

Both delegations reconfirmed the critical importance of continued dialogue between Türkiye and the United States on bilateral, regional, and global issues through mutual high-level visits, including within the scope of the Strategic Mechanism Dialogue.

They committed to work on the preparations for the Strategic Mechanism Foreign Ministers Meeting.