Brussels, Belgium:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned on Monday he held a “fruitful and sincere” meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.
“We believe there is no problem that cannot be resolved in Turkey-US relations,” Erdogan added right after holding his 1st meeting with Biden considering that his election.
Relations amongst the two NATO allies nosedived right after Turkey’s acquire of a Russian S-400 missile defence method that the US believes can be used to spy on Western defences.
Erdogan announced no progress on the S-400 dispute. Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey’s military procurement agency for the acquire last year.
It also expelled Turkey from the F-35 programme below which Western allies create the next-generation fighter jet’s components and safe its early acquiring rights.
“On the issue of S-400s, I told (Biden) the same thing I had in the past,” Erdogan mentioned.
“I raised the issue of F-35s,” Erdogan mentioned in a signal that he wanted Turkey admitted back into the programme.
“I told him what joint steps we can take on the defence industry.”
Macron, Mitsotakis meetings
Biden has also made a point of highlighting Turkey’s deteriorating record on human rights — an problem that was largely overlooked by his predecessor Donald Trump.
He took 3 complete months right after his swearing-in ceremony just before putting his 1st contact to Erdogan.
That was to inform him that Washington was recognising the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire for the duration of World War I.
Erdogan raised the possibility ahead of the meeting that the two sides could cooperate on Turkey’s achievable function securing the international airport in Kabul right after the US completes its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Turkish officials had mentioned they would want economic help in exchange for a military presence in Kabul.
Erdogan announced no firm deal on the airport but mentioned Turkish forces could possibly work jointly in Afghanistan with these of Pakistan and NATO member Hungary.
“If Turkey is not asked to leave Afghanistan, the US support on the diplomatic, logistical and financial front is very important,” he mentioned.
Erdogan also held separate meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis — two leaders with whom he has sparred repeatedly in the previous year.
Turkey and Greece have been feuding more than migrants and Ankara’s push into disputed eastern Mediterranean waters close to the divided island of Cyprus in search of organic gas reserves.
Erdogan mentioned he told Mitsotakis that the two neighbours should really resolve their disputes straight and without the need of the involvement of “third parties”.
Greece has been backed in its claims by France and the European Union. Turkey’s candidacy to join the bloc has been efficiently frozen for considerably of the previous decade.
“If there’s a problematic situation, you can easily call me from the direct line, and I can do the same,” Erdogan mentioned in comments addressed to the Greek premier.