US defense undersecretary Kahl met Turkish deputy foreign minister last week: Pentagon

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Pentagon said Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl met Friday with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar.

Spokesman Lt. Col. David Herndon said in a statement Tuesday that during the meeting at the Pentagon, Kahl and Akcapar "discussed shared interests in strengthening NATO and reaffirmed commitments to work together as strategic allies.

"They also discussed the Department of Defense's support to Turkiye's military modernization needs and the importance of welcoming Sweden into NATO immediately,” it said.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and Akcapar chaired the fifth meeting Friday of the Türkiye-US Strategic Mechanism Dialogue in Washington.

Türkiye and the US were represented by delegations that included officials from the state and defense departments and Turkish foreign affairs and national defense ministries.

"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," the State Department said in a statement.

"They committed to work on the preparations for the Strategic Mechanism Foreign Ministers Meeting," it added at the time.