US, Turkey start talks to fix ties
WASHINGTON: The US and Turkey were set to kick off comprehensive talks yesterday to discuss if the Nato allies can move beyond deep rooted disagreements over issues such as Syria and Ankara’s close ties with Russia.
Senior US and Turkish officials are set to meet at the State Department for several rounds of talks focusing on topics spanning Syria, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, defence cooperation, energy, counterterrorism and the Israel-Hamas war.
The conversations, dubbed the Strategic Mechanism, will set the stage for a meeting on Friday between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Ties between the US and Turkey have drifted away from a strategic partnership in recent years as disagreements between the two long-standing treaty allies have widened.
Turkey’s 2019 acquisition of Russian S-400 defense missile system triggered US sanctions on Ankara and led to its removal from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme. Meanwhile, Turkey has remained deeply troubled over US support in northern Syria to Kurdish militia that it sees as an extension of the PKK, a militant group it considers as a terrorist organisation.
The US was also annoyed by Ankara’s 20 month-long delay in approving Sweden’s Nato membership, which took place in January. The US Congress has since approved the US$20 billion (712 billion baht) sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, long sought by the Turkish government.
Since then, US officials have begun describing a desire on both sides to deepen conversations in areas where the two sides can cooperate.
“This is probably going to be the meatiest and most positive strategic mechanism that we’ve had in years,” a senior US official said of the upcoming conversations.
In late January, US Senators from President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Murphy visited Turkey and met with Mr Erdogan. Mr Murphy then said there was now “significant momentum” in the bilateral ties.
In an interview with Reuters,
Ms Shaheen described their visit as “quite positive in terms of t he potential to reset USTurkey relations going forward.”
However, there is no illusion the two-day visit will solve all long-running strains between the two allies and some tough conversations are expected.
The hardest talks will likely take place on the way forward in Syria and Ankara’s strong economic ties with Russia, which Washington says has helped the Kremlin circumvent some US sanctions on Moscow.
Ms Shaheen said she discussed with Mr Erdogan Ankara’s relationship with Moscow, arguing it is not in Turkey’s interest to have Russian President Vladimir Putin “feel like he can take over whatever country he would like”, an apparent reference to its invasion of Ukraine.
“The potential is much greater for the US and Turkey to work together than for Turkey and Russia to work together,” Ms Shaheen said.