The meeting, set to take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, will also cover Turkey’s request to purchase of F-16 fighter jets and the defense relationship between the NATO allies, the agency said.

The meeting between the pair arrives against a backdrop of numerous issues plaguing Turkey-U.S. relations, including Turkey’s expulsion from the joint production of the fifth-generation F-35 aircraft in 2019, following Ankara’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 missile defense systems.

Earlier this month, Erdogan said that the United States had proposed selling Turkey upgraded F-16s to offset its investment in the F-35 program. Washington canceled the sale of F-35 jets over claims that it could expose military secrets to Russia. The U.S. State Department however denied the existence of any F-16 deal.

Turkey’s purchase of the S-400s also triggered U.S. sanctions against its defense industry in December last year. Washington has called on Ankara to drop any plans to purchase more of the missiles or risk further punitive measures.

In the latest bout of tensions earlier this month, Erdogan ordered 10 envoys, including the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, to be declared “persona non grata” after calling for the urgent release of jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala. Turkey later withdrew the threat.

Reporter's code: 50101