Türkiye, US Resume Consultations Under ‘Strategic Mechanism’

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets the American delegation taking part in the strategic mechanism meetings in Ankara on Sunday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets the American delegation taking part in the strategic mechanism meetings in Ankara on Sunday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Türkiye, US Resume Consultations Under ‘Strategic Mechanism’

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets the American delegation taking part in the strategic mechanism meetings in Ankara on Sunday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets the American delegation taking part in the strategic mechanism meetings in Ankara on Sunday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

A round of consultations held by the Türkiye-US Strategic Mechanism to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues, concluded in Ankara on Monday.

The two-day meetings were co-chaired by Acting Deputy Secretary of State and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akcapar.

The Türkiye-US Strategic Mechanism was initiated on April 4, 2022 following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden in Rome in October 2021.

On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Nuland in Ankara.

Nuland also held meetings with Türkiye's Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz. The two officials exchanged views on the developments in the Middle East and Africa.

Ending years of negotiations, the US government on Friday approved a $23 billion deal to sell F-16 warplanes to Türkiye, after Ankara ratified Sweden's NATO membership, which was an urgent American demand.

As required by US law, the State Department notified Congress of the agreement, as well as a separate $8 billion sale of 40 F-35s to Greece.

Türkiye will get 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 of the jets in its existing fleet, the State Department said in a statement.

The US did not green-light the transaction until Türkiye's instruments of ratification of Sweden's membership had arrived in Washington, a US official said.

Türkiye's parliament ratified Sweden's NATO membership on Tuesday after more than a year of delays that upset Western efforts to show resolve in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Erdogan signed the membership instrument only 48 hours after the parliament’s approval, and 24 hours after Biden sent a letter to key lawmakers urging Congress to proceed with the sale to Türkiye.

The F-16 deal has been a thorny issue in the Ankara-Washington relations, marred by years of tension. This rift emerged when the US withheld the transfer of advanced F-35 stealth fighters to Türkiye, citing concerns over its acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile air defense system.



More than 73 Sudanese Dead Due to Worsening Health Situation in Al-Jazira State

People fleeing Sudan’s southern Al-Jazira State arrive at a camp for the displaced in the eastern city of Gedaref on Nov. 2, 2024 (AFP)
People fleeing Sudan’s southern Al-Jazira State arrive at a camp for the displaced in the eastern city of Gedaref on Nov. 2, 2024 (AFP)
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More than 73 Sudanese Dead Due to Worsening Health Situation in Al-Jazira State

People fleeing Sudan’s southern Al-Jazira State arrive at a camp for the displaced in the eastern city of Gedaref on Nov. 2, 2024 (AFP)
People fleeing Sudan’s southern Al-Jazira State arrive at a camp for the displaced in the eastern city of Gedaref on Nov. 2, 2024 (AFP)

The Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said on Wednesday that more than 73 people died in Al-Hilalia city and its neighboring areas in Al-Jazira State due to the worsening health situation.
“Eastern areas of Al-Jazira face a worsening humanitarian disaster, as a result of violent and ongoing attacks by the militia (Rapid Support Forces),” the committee said in a statement.
It said Al-Sabagh Rural Hospital, which is the basic facility for providing medical care to the displaced people, is receiving patients that largely exceed its capacity, and is also facing a critical shortage of medical staff, medicines and basic medical supplies.
The statement listed the dire conditions under which the displaced people in the New Halfa city are living. It said those people are sleeping in the open without shelter or blankets, and are lacking access to safe drinking water.
The committee therefore called on the regional and international community to “immediately intervene to stop this humanitarian tragedy.”
A wave of violence and armed attacks in Al-Jazira State since October 20, have led to the displacement of more than 135,000 people (27,000 families) to various locations in Sudan.
In April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces spread into a deadly civil war across Sudan, causing a hunger crisis with millions forced out of their homes.