Türkiye, US continue F-35 fighter jets consultations in Washington

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - The delegations of the Turkish National Defense Ministry and the US Department of Defense have carried out the second round of F-35 fighter jets consultations in Washington, the Turkish side said on Thursday.

"The delegations agreed upon continuation of the consultations. The following meeting is scheduled to take place in Ankara in spring 2023," the ministry said in a statement.

The delegations held the first round of talks in Ankara in 2021.

In 2019, the US suspended Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program after objecting to its buying Russian S-400 missile defense system, claiming the Russian system would endanger the fighter jets.

Türkiye has said repeatedly that there is no conflict between the two, and proposed a commission to study the issue. Türkiye also said it fulfilled its obligations on the F-35s and that its suspension was against the rules.