Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly National Defense Committee Hulusi Akar met with Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) CEO and former U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford in Washington.

The meeting addressed Turkey-US relations, defense and security cooperation, NATO's future, and regional and global security developments.
Akar stated that they emphasized Turkey's approach based on alliance law and the importance of keeping dialogue channels open.
Dunford served as U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2015 to 2019. The retired general was appointed CEO of the Washington-based think tank CSIS in May, succeeding John Hamre, who held the position for 26 years.
The meeting took place as part of the Washington program of the National Defense Committee delegation led by Akar. During its contacts, the delegation also met with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers and Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford.

In his remarks during the visit, Akar also touched on the F-35 program, stating that the main reason for its suspension was the S-400 crisis, and that once this obstacle is removed, the process would resume directly.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing the S-400 air defense system from Russia. The delegation's contacts took place following the NATO Summit held in Ankara.
