Turkish-US ties stabilize through leader-level diplomacy, says senior Turkish official

2026-02-13 - 17:35

The head of the Turkish parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has credited direct leader-level engagement for placing Türkiye-US relations on a more stable trajectory. Fuat Oktay, a former Turkish vice president, told Turkish journalists in Washington that the "healthy" rapport between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump has generated positive momentum across bilateral channels. Congressional Atmosphere and Defense Dialogue Oktay observed that meetings on Capitol Hill reflected a more constructive atmosphere compared to previous parliamentary visits, indicating that the leadership-level approach is filtering through to legislative engagement. Addressing defense cooperation, he reiterated that NATO allies should not impose embargoes on one another and suggested the S-400 air defense systems issue should be managed to enable both sides to progress. Oktay noted that Türkiye procured the Russian systems to address urgent security needs at a time when US-made Patriot systems were unavailable. Trade Goals and Regional Alignment Bilateral trade between the two NATO allies currently approaches $40 billion, with both nations maintaining the $100 billion target. Oktay identified emerging cooperation areas in defense and security sectors. On regional matters, he emphasized that strengthening Syria's central government and ensuring nationwide integration would enhance stability and serve mutual Turkish-American interests. His remarks follow a week of high-level Turkish engagement in Washington aimed at advancing bilateral relations across multiple domains.