US Ambassador to Türkiye to leave on Sept 1

WASHINGTON

U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Jeff Flake is leaving his post Sept. 1, nearly three years after his confirmation before the U.S. Senate.

"He told Mission Türkiye that it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as ambassador in Ankara, and he feels unbelievably fortunate to have strengthened the U.S-Türkiye strategic partnership at such a historic moment in the world," a spokesperson from the U.S. Embassy in Ankara told Anadolu.

"He is deeply grateful for the relationships he has forged not only with government officials but with civil society, universities, the business community -- and among ordinary citizens across Turkiye,” the spokesperson added.

Flake said on X that it “has been an honor to serve."

Flake began his tenure during a period of strained Turkish-U.S. relations due to several disagreements, including U.S. support for the YPG in Syria, which Ankara sees as an extension of the PKK terror group, and Türkiye’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system, which led to Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 program and sanctions by Washington against Ankara.

The U.S. Congress’ approval of the long-stalled sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye in February, which came shortly after the Turkish parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO membership, has been seen as a positive development by both sides.

Flake wrote in an article for Deseret News that the approval of the sale of F-16 jets signaled "a commitment by both countries that a strong bilateral relationship is in our collective self-interest."

"During my confirmation hearing in September of 2021, I said that Türkiye was an indispensable ally. Events since then have reaffirmed that this country – always in the middle of it – is just that," he wrote.

The former senator representing the state of Arizona was confirmed by the Senate on Oct. 26, 2021, and began his post in Türkiye in January 2022.

Flake was a key Republican ally for U.S. President Joe Biden during the 2020 White House race and endorsed the then-Democratic nominee after establishing himself as a Republican lawmaker who was long at odds with former President Donald Trump.