Ties with US can gain momentum under Trump rule: Erdoğan

ANKARA

The Turkish-American bilateral ties have the potential to gain significant momentum under the Trump administration, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, citing a joint target of increasing the trade volume to $100 billion.

“The Turkish-American relations can gain significant momentum during Mr. Trump’s second term. I believe that we should and will achieve this for the sake of our region despite all the challenges, despite especially lobbies seeking to poison the two countries’ cooperation,” Erdoğan said following a routine cabinet meeting on late March 24.

Erdoğan informed about the content of his phone conversation with United States President Donald Trump, which took place on March 16. It was their first exchange since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

“We have discussed many important issues, including the lifting of all the obstacles before our $100 billion trade goal, during our pretty sincere phone call. We discussed in detail current critical developments in our region, Syria in particular,” he stated.

Erdoğan’s comments came as Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to engage in direct talks with his American counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Washington. The two top diplomats will review all the aspects of bilateral ties as well as regional issues, the diplomatic sources said. The visit will also pave the way for the preparations of President Erdoğan’s visit to Washington in the coming period.

 Europe security not possible without Türkiye

Erdoğan also spoke about recent efforts to restructure Europe’s security architecture, underlining that “the heated debates that took place in recent weeks have shown that Europe’s security is not possible without Türkiye.”

“Europe’s need for our country has been indeed acknowledged not only in terms of security but also of many terms, from economy to diplomacy, trade to social life. As our European friends develop their policies on a rational ground, they realize the importance of their relations with Türkiye,” he stated.

“We see these developments as promising in terms of the future of the Türkiye-European Union relations.”

Erdoğan emphasized that changes in the world's geopolitical landscape clearly indicate a need for increased dialogue and corporate cooperation, saying, “Türkiye stands ready to improve its relations with European countries and the Union on the bases of common interests and mutual respect.”

On the ongoing Russian occupation of Ukraine, Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye has always been in favor of peace between the two countries.

“We have stressed on every platform that peace will have no losers, and we still think so. We want this war, which has entered its fourth year, to end with just peace without further bloodshed and destruction,” he underlined.