Fidan says Türkiye ready to build on ties with US

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has voiced Ankara's readiness to approach its relations with the United States “in a holistic manner” following the reelection of Donald Trump as president.

“Turkish-U.S. relations have a deep-rooted history. There is a high-level dialogue based on alliance relations between the two countries, regardless of who is in power," Fidan told daily Milliyet in an interview published on Nov. 11.

A strategic mechanism between the two NATO allies designed to address bilateral issues would continue its work, Fidan said.

"The sincerity was clearly reflected in the conversation between the two leaders," Fidan stated.

He highlighted the familiarity between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Trump, referring to their phone call shortly after the latter's victory.

"The issues on our agenda need to be addressed in a collaborative, constructive and holistic manner. We are ready for this," he said.

"I believe the new [U.S.] administration is ready for this as well."

Erdoğan told reporters on Nov. 8 that he had a "candid" conversation with Trump.

"[During the conversation] they were having a family dinner and Elon Musk, and his son were also there. We have talked about the election process and the Turkish-American ties," he said.

“He [Trump] had nice words about Türkiye. I have invited him to our country. I hope he will come and we can, therefore, strengthen our cooperation differently from the past period,” the president said.

Meanwhile, Fidan also touched on efforts to improve relations with Greece, following his recent visit to Athens.

"We are both neighbors and allies," Fidan said.

"There are, of course, differences of opinion between our countries on certain issues. But this does not prevent us from meeting and discussing our issues in a cool manner."

The Turkish top diplomat held talks with his counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, on Nov. 8.

"Our contacts in Athens went very well. We had the opportunity to comprehensively evaluate our bilateral relations with my dear friend George," he said.

"We reaffirmed our determination to advance relations with a positive agenda."

The minister described the objective of Turkish-Greek talks as fostering mutual welfare through a “win-win” approach.

"We are committed to advancing our bilateral relations within the framework of good neighborly principles and through confidence-building measures," he added.

Fidan's trip marked the latest step in a diplomatic thaw between Türkiye and Greece. The rapprochement began with a NATO summit meeting between Erdoğan and Kyriakos Mitsotakis in July last year.

The leaders agreed to "open a new page" in bilateral relations, resulting in reciprocal visits and several cooperation agreements.

Erdoğan made his first trip to Athens in six years last December, while Mitsotakis visited Ankara in May.

Türkiye and Greece have a history of strained relations, often related to disputes over maritime boundaries and airspace in the Aegean Sea.