ANKARA United States European Commander Gen. Curtis Michael Scaparrotti held meetings with Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler on Aug. 1 amid growing tension between the two countries over the continued detention of pastor Andrew Brunson. Gen. Scaparrotti will highlight their strong military relationship with Turkey in his key visit to the Turkish capital this week, his office announced. “U.S. European Commander, General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, will meet with Turkish military counterparts this week in Ankara, Turkey to discuss a variety of defense matters, while highlighting the strong U.S. and Turkey mil-to-mil relationship,” a press release issued by the EUCOM said late July 31. Scaparrotti paid a courtesy visit to Akar for his new role, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The U.S. commander is scheduled to visit U.S. forces at the İncirlik Air Base in southern Turkey and participate as the keynote speaker for the Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) Change of Command ceremony in the Aegean province of İzmir in his role as the NATO Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR) following his engagement in Ankara. His visit comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence had threatened Turkey with sanctions if Brunson…