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)
TT

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.



Lebanon to Increase Army Personnel Ahead of Possible Deployment South of Litani

Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
TT

Lebanon to Increase Army Personnel Ahead of Possible Deployment South of Litani

Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)

The Lebanese government has approved funding to recruit 1,500 new military personnel in the Lebanese Army as part of an initiative to increase military presence along the southern border, amid Israel’s ongoing hostilities.
The funds will be provided to the Ministry of Defense as an advance, a decision highlighted by the Minister of Information for its political and international significance, particularly in relation to implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati in the caretaker government emphasized that continued and escalating Israeli attacks on Lebanon amount to crimes against humanity. He stated that a primary pathway to a resolution involves halting hostilities against the country, fully implementing Resolution 1701, and electing a new president to restore institutional order, stability, and initiate reconstruction.

Mikati condemned what he described as an international failure to stop Israel’s actions against Lebanon, which include attacks on towns and villages, civilian deaths, and strikes against medical and relief personnel.
“We condemn and hold the international community responsible for the continuation of Israel’s genocidal war on Lebanon, its destruction of towns and villages, killing of civilians, assassination of army personnel, and targeting of medical teams, civil defense, relief teams, and journalists.
“Additionally, the attacks on UNIFIL, which represents international legitimacy, make targeting UNIFIL an assault on the international community and the Security Council. This destruction continues to affect hospitals, schools, and educational centers,” stated Mikati.
On the international front, Mikati highlighted the solidarity shown by world figures, referring to his discussions with leaders like Jordan’s King Abdullah, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, and Britain’s Prime Minister. This was further demonstrated during the Paris Conference in Support of Lebanon -late on October- he underlined, specifically thanking France for its humanitarian efforts and military support.
But he added: “But unfortunately, Israel is blatantly disregarding all international efforts to achieve a ceasefire.”
The prime minister reiterated Lebanon’s stance on safeguarding its dignity and sovereignty across air, sea, and land, pledging to confront any Israeli violations.
Following the cabinet meeting, Minister of Information Ziad Makari assured that funds to recruit 1,500 additional soldiers are available and that the government encountered no issues regarding this allocation.
Nasser Yassin, the government’s Emergency Committee coordinator, announced that the cabinet approved fuel allocations for 541 shelters in mountainous regions over 300 meters in altitude to ensure winter heating. Yassin also detailed efforts concerning the people displaced as the result of the Israeli hostilities in Lebanon.
He highlighted that there are 44,000 families in 1,138 shelters and an additional 147,000 families housed within communities.