Top Turkish, US officials meet in Washington for talks on bilateral relations

Akif Cagatay Kilic, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief adviser on Foreign Policy and Security, held important discussions with senior U.S. officials on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

The meetings focused on strengthening Türkiye-U.S. relations, regional conflicts and potential cooperative solutions.

Kilic met with U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Keith Kellogg, the U.S. envoy for Russia-Ukraine under President Donald Trump.

Additionally, Kilic held talks with members of the U.S. Congress, including Sen. Jim Risch, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Representative Rick Crawford, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee; and Representative Brian Mast, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Kilic also participated in roundtable discussions hosted by several think tanks in the U.S., where he emphasized the importance of Türkiye-U.S. relations.

He outlined Türkiye’s proposed solutions for regional conflicts and suggested steps that could be taken together with the U.S. and European allies to promote stability in the region.

Hakan Fidan also in Washington for bilateral talks

In addition to Kilic’s meetings, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was also in Washington for separate talks with his U.S. counterpart, Marco Rubio.

The discussions primarily focused on a range of bilateral and regional issues, including the critical need for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The meetings follow up on a March 16 phone call between Turkish President Erdogan and President Donald Trump. During that call, Erdogan emphasized the potential for significant momentum in Türkiye-U.S. relations, including efforts to reach a $100 billion trade target between the two nations.

“We have discussed many important issues, including the lifting of all the obstacles before our $100 billion trade goal, during our pretty sincere phone call. We discussed in detail current critical developments in our region, Syria in particular,” Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting earlier this week.