Turkey–United States relations

Following Turkey's suspension from the F-35 fighter jet program by the United States, Ankara is aiming to seek its legal rights in cooperation with the American firms that incurred losses or suffered an additional burden in the project's production phase, the head of Turkey's top defense procurement and development body said on March 11.

There is not a "very pessimistic picture" of the differences between Turkey and the United States, however, Ankara believes that the two NATO allies can solve these issues through a "constructive dialogue and by speaking very transparently and sincerely," Turkey's Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın has told Bloomberg.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed bilateral ties and regional issues of interest to both countries in a video call on March 5, said an official statement.

Erdoğan stressed the importance of maintaining open communications and dialogue with Merkel, said Turkey's Communications Directorate.

Turkey's Presidential Security and Foreign Policy Committee convened on March 4 with Turkey-EU relations and counter-terrorism on the agenda.

The committee's weekly meeting convened under the chairmanship of presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalın at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara.

Turkey wants to forge a "win-win" relationship with the United States as mutual interests with Washington outweigh their differences, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 20 while calling for more cooperation with President Joe Biden's new U.S. administration.

Turkey's Defense Industries Presidency (SSB) has enlisted a leading U.S. law firm to get strategic advice on protecting its rights in the F-35 fighter jet program.

The Turkish President addressed a party meeting

A US State Department spokesperson affirmed Friday that President Joe Biden "has promised to call out Turkish behavior that is inconsistent with international law or its commitments to NATO."

The United States highly values its ties with Turkey as a strategic ally, and these relations are important for both sides, the U.S. ambassador to Ankara said on Feb. 5.

Turkish Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed bilateral ties over the phone on Feb. 2, an official statement said.

Besides Turkey-U.S. relations, the top officials discussed Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus, Afghanistan, Upper Karabakh, Syria, Libya and the COVID-19 pandemic during the nearly 1-hour-long conversation.