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Statement

Statement | Sept. 12, 2019

Readout of Visit from U.S. Central Command and U.S. European Command Deputy Commanders to Turkey

U.S. Central Command Public Affairs

ANKARA, Turkey  –  

Deputy commanders from U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) and U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) visited Ankara this week to meet with Turkish General Staff (TGS) leaders to discuss key topics related to the implementation of the northeast Syria security mechanism.

During their visit, USCENTCOM’s U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson and USEUCOM’s U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty and their Turkish counterparts discussed future support for the combined joint operations center (CJOC), success of reconnaissance flights, and other key activities that support security mechanism progress and management. The visit also underscored how the U.S. and Turkey are working together to implement the security mechanism, which is on schedule.

Following the visit with the TGS leadership, the two leaders and their teams went to the Sanliurfa Province to visit with U.S. service members and their Turkish counterparts and observe the joint coordination occurring within the CJOC.

Coordination and consultation between the U.S. and Turkey are key to addressing Turkey’s legitimate security concerns in the region. The first combined ground patrol since the establishment of the CJOC occurred Sunday in northeast Syria. Continued success of the security mechanism will prevent ISIS from reemerging in northeast Syria and allow the Coalition and our SDF partners to remain focused on defeating ISIS.