Türkiye, US talk ahead of Erdoğan’s expected visit to Washington

ANKARA

Senior Turkish and American diplomats have exchanged views on unfolding developments in the Middle East and the Ukraine-Russia war as well as bilateral ties ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s planned trip to Washington in early May.

Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar and Under Secretary of State Department John Bass held talks at the Foreign Ministry on April 16 following his meeting with Çağatay Akif Kılıç, the presidential foreign policy advisor. The U.S. diplomat was also received by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan late on April 15.

The talks in Ankara were a continuation of the Turkish-American Strategic Mechanism which took place at the level of foreign ministers in March. One of the main issues on the table was a planned visit by Erdoğan to the U.S. to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. Although not confirmed, the visit is expected to take place on May 8 and 9. It will be Erdoğan’s first White House trip since Biden took office in 2020.

Efforts to deepen and expand the scope of ties in the fields of economy, trade, energy and other issues, further institutionalizing Turkish-American ties, were reviewed during talks between Bass and Akçapar. They also discussed the developments in Syria, especially in the context of fighting terrorism and the U.S.’s continued support to the YPG, a group Türkiye has designated as a terror organization.

The Turkish-American consultations covered regional conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Hamas as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan. Türkiye has been playing a crucial role in efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the same table for a ceasefire which would be followed by peace negotiations. It also brokered the Black Sea Initiative between 2022 and 2023, which resulted in the flow of more than 33 million tons of wheat and other food products to the world markets.

On the Middle East, Türkiye urges the U.S. to convince Israel of a ceasefire as the death toll has reached 33.000 people, mostly children and women. Türkiye and the U.S. have recently worked closely to prevent further escalation between Iran and Israel.

Türkiye also reiterated to Washington that the only way for a permanent solution to the Middle East question is the establishment of a sovereign Palestine state.