Turkey is a very important partner for us,” says Pentagon

Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin and U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley spoke following a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. During a joint press conference, remarks regarding Turkey were also made.

“We are doing everything to strengthen relations with Turkey. We do this because Turkey is a NATO member and a very important partner,” said Lloyd Austin.

Mark Milley, referring to his visit to northern Syria weeks ago, after which the U.S. ambassador was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, noted that the visit was simply to check on completed tasks and report on them, as there are 100 soldiers there who are in danger every day.

According to him, the U.S. and Turkey have shared interests in combating the Islamic State terrorist organization (ISIS).