Türkiye is a proper contributor to regional stability, US official says

Serkan Demirtaş - ANKARA

A senior United States official has described Türkiye’s role in its region as a contributing power to stability and peace, reflecting its importance in the world, and refuted claims that the NATO ally is distancing itself from the Western bloc.

“We deeply value the efforts and the vision of the Turkish government in making a proper contribution that reflects its importance in the world,” said the U.S. State Department’s acting undersecretary, John Bass, in an interview with Hürriyet Daily News in Ankara on Sept. 18.

Bass, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Ankara between 2014 and 2017, held talks with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz on Sept. 17 on a range of issues, including Syria.

On a question whether he agrees with claims that Türkiye has distanced itself from the Western bloc and NATO, Bass said “I don't see that in the totality of our relationships. I see a strong, confident country that is looking to ensure it has robust relationships with a wide range of countries. There are more than enough challenges in the world today for all of us to be dealing with.”

“Whether it's Türkiye’s support in mediating some of the challenges that currently exist between Somalia and Ethiopia; whether it’s ongoing contributions to trying to bring this conflict between Israel and Hamas to a close, whether it’s past efforts to enable the Black Sea grain initiative, those are all really important contributions,” the senior U.S. diplomat underlined.

Bass recalled that every time he returns to Türkiye he is struck by the continued dynamism and energy in Turkish society and its economy, and stressed the need for strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries as strategic partners.

Talks focused on Syria

The talks led by Bass and Yılmaz were focused on Syria as Türkiye is exerting an effort to normalize ties with the Assad regime through Russian mediation. The talks came after Türkiye and Russia resumed joint patrols in eastern Syria.

Bass described talks as “very productive and fruitful,” adding they agreed to continue to work together to bring the terrible conflict in Syria to a close, in a way that allows Syrians to go home, to live in peace and to have brighter futures.

Bass said: “We all have the opportunity to choose our friends, but we don't get the opportunity to choose our neighbors, and we recognize that there are realities that come with having a very long border with Syria. The continued generosity of the Turkish people and the Turkish government to hosting over 3 million Syrians for over a decade is remarkable. It's remarkable.”

The unresolved nature of the Syrian conflict still continues to pose challenges to Türkiye and the world, the diplomat stated.

“An important part of our discussion was how we can go about dealing with the enduring challenge created by Daesh in Syria in ways that do not undercut the security of Türkiye and that contribute overall to improving security across the region,” he said.

He also underlined that the relationship between PKK and YPG, as well as a range of Syrian Kurds, continues to pose challenges on Türkiye’s security.

It’s up to each gov’t to decide on ties with Syria

On a question about prospects for a potential rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus, Bass said, “We respect the reality that Syria is a neighbor and that there are a set of challenges that come with having a long border with Syria that require having a set of interactions with the authorities in Damascus. It's, you know, up to each government to decide how they are going to interact with the Assad regime.”

Washington will remain in close touch with the Turkish government to understand what Ankara is thinking about in terms of a future relationship with the Assad regime, Bass stressed.

‘Realities of the geography’

On a question about Türkiye’s plans to join BRICS, Bass reiterated that it is up to each country to determine its relationships with other countries and groupings in line with the realities of the geography.

“And in that regard, at different times in the past, the BRICS format has provided an opportunity for the countries that are part of that grouping to share perspective, and you know, see to what extent they have common interests and opportunities to address irritants between them,” he underlined.

“And we understand why Türkiye may be interested in attempting to deepen its relationship with at least some of the members of the BRICS grouping,” the American diplomat stressed, adding India and Latin America as places where the Turkish government sees opportunity in strengthening its economic ties.

“So, there are a range of different reasons why a deeper relationship with the countries in BRICS might make sense at the same time. You know, we're very clear in our discussions with the Turkish government about the nature of the challenges posed to the international community by governments in Russia and the People's Republic of China, and particularly in the NATO context.”

Impact of Israel-Hamas war on Turkish-US ties

On a question about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Bass underscored that the conflict has gone on for too far and has resulted in too much destruction and suffering of innocence.

The Turkish and U.S. top diplomats, Hakan Fidan and Antony Blinken, are in close dialogue to end the conflict, the official recalled, expressing Washington’s sorrow over the killing of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist by Israeli security forces on Sept. 6.

“Our hearts go out to her family. No parent should have to endure what her parents are enduring right now,” he said.

On a question about the impact of this conflict on the Turkish-U.S. ties, Bass acknowledged that it may become a major challenge.

“I think, however, when we step out of the moment, and we look at the depth and breadth of our relationship. It is much stronger and deeper and richer than any one point of disagreement can unravel it,” he stressed.

“Notwithstanding our differences about the best way to address the conflict of the moment, not unlike earlier periods when we've disagreed about particular aspects of policy, we find a way through that because of our enduring commitment as allies and as strategic partners to work together and to create a better future.”