(Bloomberg) -- Turkey is looking to turn the page on a period of strife with the U.S. as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares to meet Donald Trump to discuss a series of issues dividing the NATO allies, especially his country’s purchase of a Russian missile-defense system.
Speaking Tuesday before traveling to Washington, Erdogan said he wants to “start a new era over common security issues” with the U.S. “We are in agreement with Trump to solve problems and develop our ties despite the foggy weather in our relations,” Erdogan told a televised news conference at the airport in Ankara.
Turkey’s relationship with the U.S. has been strained by a series of rows, from disagreements over the Turkish offensive in Syria to Ankara’s decision to purchase the advanced Russian S-400 missile system.
The S-400 issue will top the agenda for Erdogan’s talks with Trump on Wednesday, a “critical” meeting that’s set to shape the future of ties with the U.S., the Turkish president’s communications chief, Fahrettin Altun, told Bloomberg late Monday.
Erdogan sees this week’s encounter at the White House as crucial to reconcile those differences, Altun said. But obstacles to improved relations remain. Erdogan has insisted that the Russian system will be activated soon, defying calls from Washington to hold off.
S-400, Syria
The Turkish president didn’t mention the row over the Russian missiles before his departure for Washington but said he’ll talk to President Vladimir Putin after his talks with Trump.
In Syria, where Americans have long been allied with Kurdish forces that Turkey regards as terrorists, Trump’s decision to pull out U.S. troops led to a military operation by Turkish forces. The military campaign against the Kurds touched off an international outcry and led to demands by members of both parties in Congress for sanctions against the Erdogan government.
Erdogan complained that the agreement with the U.S. over the withdrawal of American-backed Kurdish forces from northeast Syria hasn’t been fully implemented. He also criticized Trump’s conversation with the leader of a Kurdish militia who’s been invited to the U.S. by senators, calling the commander and his fighters “terrorists.”
Even before the Syria crisis, U.S. lawmakers were pushing the administration to impose sanctions on Ankara for buying the Russian military hardware, citing risks to the American F-35 fighter jet. Turkey was suspended from the joint program that produces the warplane because of the purchase.
“We have repeatedly expressed our stance” on the S-400s, Altun said, referring to Erdogan’s long-held view that the Russian missiles are absolutely necessary for Turkey’s national security.
“Geopolitics require Turkey to have multiple air and missile defense systems,” Altun said. “When we expressed our desire to buy the Patriots, the U.S. set a condition for us to not purchase the S-400s,” he said, referring to the Patriot missiles manufactured by Raytheon Co.
Erdogan said late last week that he was prepared to buy Patriots if the terms were right.
Altun’s remarks highlight the difficulty of reconciling Turkey’s position on air defense with that of Washington, a rift that has threatened to derail the decades-long alliance between the two countries.
“I’m confident Erdogan and Trump will have an honest discussion on this,” he said. “I believe the two leaders can find a solution that’s acceptable and can be implemented.”
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
POPULAR