Hulusi Akar, chairman of the Turkish parliament’s National Defense Committee, called for stronger Türkiye-U.S. defense cooperation, including on the F-35 program, during separate meetings with senior lawmakers in Washington on July 16.
Akar, a former national defense minister, met House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast to discuss bilateral ties, defense and security cooperation and regional and global developments, including Iran.
“We emphasized the importance of the strong defense cooperation between Türkiye and the U.S. — including the F-35 program — for NATO’s deterrence and Euro-Atlantic security,” Akar said.
The two sides also stressed the importance of maintaining constructive dialogue between the Turkish and U.S. legislatures.
In a separate meeting with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, Akar discussed bilateral relations, security cooperation and regional developments.
Akar outlined Ankara’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative and its broader goal of a “terror-free region,” while calling for stronger U.S. cooperation against terrorism.
The two sides also reaffirmed the importance of sustained parliamentary dialogue.
The meetings followed the July 7–8 NATO summit in Ankara, where the F-35 issue was discussed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump said Washington would lift sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and consider Türkiye’s return to the F-35 program. Erdoğan later described Trump’s approach to the issue as positive.
Washington removed Türkiye from the F-35 program in 2019 after Ankara acquired the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
The United States says operating the system could compromise the aircraft, a concern Türkiye rejects. Ankara has continued to seek either reinstatement in the program or compensation for the jets it paid for.
