Turkey tests in the United States its importance in the world in the midst of crisis with Imamoglu
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will ask US officers in Washington to eliminate US sanctions against Turkey and return to the F-35 Buying (and Production) Program at a difficult time at home, becoming a test for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Fidan will meet with his American counterpart Marco Rubio later in the day. Erdogan himself spoke days ago with US Head of State Donald Trump, whose envoy Stephen Whitcof called the conversation between the two as « great » and « transforming » without going into detail.
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Distribution
Relationships between the US and Turkey have moved away from a strategic partnership in recent years along with disagreements. They were visible not only during the administration of President Joe Biden, who was worried about the joint work of Ankara and Moscow, but also at Trump’s first. In fact, it was his team that excluded Turkey in 2020 from the F-35 program alongside the gap, that the decision to buy Russian air defense systems C-400 followed.
US sanctioned Turkey because of Russian C-400 complexes
According to a requested source of Reuters, the Turkish First Diplomat will « emphasize the importance of discussing work to eliminate sanctions » and the process of returning Turkey to the F-35 program.
Talks between the Allies about how to overcome the impasse with the C-400 continued at Biden, but there was no breakthrough, although Turkey promised not to use the C-400 systems.
Ankara now wants most components of the new generation F-16 block 70 to be manufactured and assembled in Turkey. The purchase of the F-35 (and the re-integration of companies from the country through the supply chain) may be a high bar currently and encounter resistance to congress. In 2020 (also at the time of Trump), a law was passed, explicitly prevented Turkey from returning to the program for these fighters while holding the C-400.
A new era for Russia and Syria
During Biden, there were also differences in policies on issues such as Russia, Syria and Gaza, but the change to Moscow in the second term of Trump fed the understanding and Europe that Ankara’s role as a potential partner in the reshaping of European security may be more important. Turkey has also expressed its willingness to participate in the « Coalition of Those » to send strength for the future truce in Ukraine.
A Turkish employee, who requested anonymity, tells Reuters that the discussions between Washington and Ankara have « accepted a new dimension » after a change in Trump’s approach to Moscow. Especially if sanctions on Russia are removed, reads the logic of this interlocutor, there is no logic for them to continue to apply to third countries.
During his visit, Fidan will also discuss the Russo-Ukrainian War, the recent events in Syria and the situation in Gaza. On the agenda of the meetings today and tomorrow, according to Al Monitor, there are also counter -territorical operations in Syria, given Ankara’s attempts to build its own coalition in the region (with Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan) to combat the Islamic State of the Syrian Domocratic Domocratic Domocratic Domocratic Domocratic Forces.
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It is important for Turkey to be able to talk to Washington and because of the possible discussions whether 2000 US military leaves Syria. This scenario was probably among the reasons for the Syrian democratic forces to sign a historical agreement to infuse their ranks into the new government by the end of 2025.
