Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that a working group will be established with the United States to discuss controversial issues, including the S-400 missile system, based on a proposal from Washington.
Cavusoglu affirmed - in a speech before the Turkish parliament today, Thursday - that his country will continue its contacts with the US administration, noting that the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and American Joe Biden - last Sunday - took place in a constructive atmosphere.
He explained that a working group will be established to address contentious issues between the two countries, including what Turkey sees as the United States' cooperation with parties that Ankara considers terrorist, such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party and the Democratic Union Party, as well as the Russian S-400 missile system.
He said that President Erdogan - during his meeting with Biden - clearly emphasized these issues, and Cavusoglu added, "We said previously that we made such an offer to the United States, and now the offer came to us from the American side."
He pointed out that the relevant institutions and ministries continue their work related to the establishment of the working group and the issues that will be discussed.
The United States says that the Russian S-400 defense system, which Turkey obtained, is incompatible with the equipment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), threatens the security of the alliance's technology, and contradicts Turkey's obligations as a NATO ally.
Last year, Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara over these Russian missiles, which were manifested in the prohibition of granting any permits to export arms to the Turkish government agency in charge of purchasing military equipment.
Prior to that, America kept Turkey away from participating in the F-35 warplane production program, of which Turkey was one of the manufacturers and buyers, because of its acquisition of the S-400 missiles in mid-2019.