Atmosphere in US Congress shifting in Türkiye’s favor, says head of Turkish delegation

The atmosphere towards Türkiye in the US Congress is "steadily improving," the head of the Turkish delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) said Wednesday.

Leading the group during visits in Washington as part of the Transatlantic Forum, Mevlut Cavusoglu said they met with delegations from several countries, including US lawmakers, and observed "a steadily improving atmosphere toward Türkiye in Washington, particularly in Congress."

He told Anadolu that the forum provided an opportunity to assess key issues for NATO, including its target of increasing defense expenditures to 5% of GDP, as well as broader alliance priorities.

The delegation reviewed issues including defense industry innovation, joint production, removing trade barriers to defense products, strengthening NATO's capabilities and deterrence posture, and the Russia-Ukraine war.

"The Türkiye delegation emphasized that restrictions on defense trade between allies contradict the spirit of solidarity. As you know, some restrictions still target Türkiye," he said, adding that Ankara has important perspectives to offer on regional and global crises due to its active role in conflict resolution.

Mediation efforts and US President Donald Trump's proposed Russia-Ukraine peace plan were also discussed, said Cavusoglu, who is also a former Turkish foreign minister.

He said the US administration's new security strategy document was raised mainly by European participants, who voiced concerns over parts of it.

He underlined that the delegation reminded US lawmakers of the commitments made during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's September meeting with President Donald Trump, stressing the need for Congress to support the momentum created by both leaders.

"Their sentiments and expectations were in the same direction," he added.

Highlighting Türkiye's role as the host of next year's NATO summit, Cavusoglu said the meeting will be held in the capital Ankara on July 7-8 under President Erdogan's chairmanship.

He added that the NATO Parliamentary Summit will also take place in Türkiye, marking two major gatherings next year, along with the UN climate change summit COP31.