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WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (AP) — The U.S. and Turkey hoped to put aside years of tense differences but were unable to report progress in resolving differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and NATO expansion that have soured relations between the allies. relationship between.
At a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attempted to bridge those differences, but there was no sign yet that they had, although both praised the partnership between the two countries.
They emphasized cooperation on Ukraine, with Blinken particularly praising Turkey for its leadership in reaching a deal with Russia on Ukrainian grain shipments. But in brief statements ahead of the talks, neither side specifically mentioned their differences over Finland and Sweden joining NATO, which the Turks have so far blocked despite strong support from the United States and other allies.
Turkey has demanded that Sweden do more to rein in Kurdish groups that Ankara considers a threat to its security before approving the expanded alliance.
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“We are close allies and partners,” Blinken said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have our differences, but when we do, it’s because we’re allies and partners that we work to resolve them.”
Cavusoglu made no mention of Finland and Sweden in his comments, but did stress Turkey’s emphasis on winning U.S. approval to buy advanced F-16 fighter jets, which the Biden administration supports but is strongly opposed by Congress.
Cavusoglu called the F-16 deal an “important topic” in U.S.-Turkey defense cooperation. “As we have said before, this is not only about Turkey, but also about NATO and the United States. So we want to get approvals that are in our common strategic interest.”
Cavusoglu’s visit is a rare occasion for senior Turkish officials as President Joe Biden’s government distances itself from Turkey due to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian direction and policies that restrict rights and freedoms trip to Washington.
Located at the crossroads of East and West, Turkey remains strategically important to Washington. And, as Blinken points out, Turkey was key to a deal between Russia and Ukraine that allowed millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to be shipped to world markets, averting a food crisis during the war.
However, the NATO allies have often found themselves at odds on some issues, with the biggest disputes centering on Turkey’s purchase of Russian-made missiles and support for Kurdish militants in Syria.
Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 air defense system from Russia in 2017 led to sanctions, and Turkey was excluded from the development plan of the next-generation F-35 fighter jet. Ankara is trying to replenish its F-16 fleet after losing the F-35.
U.S. concerns about Ankara’s close relationship with the Kremlin have been reignited over the Ukraine war. While Turkey-Moscow relations have seen breakthroughs in areas such as food deals and prisoner swaps, Washington fears sanctions could be undermined as trade levels between Turkey and Russia rose last year.
And, Ankara has dragged its feet on approving the applications of Sweden and Finland to join NATO, fueling friction among the allies.
Turkey’s latest attempt to reconcile with Syria after a decade of feud has led to yet another break with the United States. Following a meeting of Syrian and Turkish defense ministers in Moscow last month, the U.S. State Department reiterated its opposition to the countries normalizing relations with Damascus.
The U.S. military also warned that Turkey’s threat of action against the Kurdish YPG in northern Syria could destabilize the region and revive the Islamic State group. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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