ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reduced his anti-Western and anti-American rhetoric in an apparent effort to re-establish a rocky relationship with his NATO allies, but so far has met with the silence of US President Joe Biden.
Nearly two months into his presidency, Biden has yet to call Erdogan, which some in Turkey consider a worrying sign. By contrast, former President Donald Trump and Erdogan spoke just days after the 2016 election.
The ties between Ankara and Washington, which were once considered strategic partners, have deteriorated steadily in recent years due to differences over Syria, Turkey’s cooperation with Russia, and, more recently, Turkish naval interventions in the United States. Eastern Mediterranean, which US officials have described as destabilizing.
Despite the tensions, many in Erdogan’s government expected four more years from the Trump-led administration, which had a personal relationship with Erdogan and gave him no lecture on Turkey’s human rights record.
Biden caught the wrath of Turkish officials after an interview with the New York Times in which he spoke about support for Turkey’s opposition to “autocrat” Erdogan.
In public statements, Turkish officials have downplayed the lack of phone calls from the White House, noting that talks are taking place at other levels, but a senior Turkish government official told The Associated Press that Erdogan’s office “she’s not happy” about it. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said last week that there were many world leaders with whom Biden had not yet spoken and that she was sure she would call Erdogan “at some point.”
Left with few friends due to a wave of assertive foreign policy, anti-Western rhetoric and growing authoritarianism, Turkey now seeks to attract foreign investment to rescue its troubled economy. Erdogan has been in contact with the United States, European nations and other former allies in an attempt to correct troubled relations and end their international isolation.
Biden, who has spoken about restoring international alliances and traditional ties, as well as strengthening NATO, would be interested in rebuilding ties and trying to distance Turkey from Russia’s sphere of influence.
But analysts say it will be very difficult to re-establish the relationship, given the range of problems the two countries do not see eye to eye with, including Turkey’s decision to acquire Russia’s advanced S-400 anti-aircraft system, which Washington says represents a threat to NATO and the U.S. F-35 fighter jet program. Washington expelled Turkey from the F-35 production program and last year imposed sanctions on senior officials in the Turkish defense industry, as well as bans on military export licenses.
Turkey argues that the Russian system, which cost the country $ 2.5 billion, is not a threat to the NATO alliance and has repeatedly called for a dialogue to resolve the issue. Washington insists sanctions cannot be lifted as long as the Russian system remains on Turkish soil.
During a Senate hearing before his confirmation as U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken described Turkey as a “so-called strategic partner” and considered it “unacceptable” for Turkey to be “in line with one of our biggest competitors.” in Russia “.
Merve Tahiroglu, of the Washington-based Middle East Democracy Project, said it would be difficult for Erdogan to pull back the S-400 “because he made a big deal about the purchase and what that would mean for geopolitical independence. of Turkey “.
U.S. military support for Syrian Kurdish fighters to fight the Islamic State group is another point of contention. Turkey argues that they are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said ties cannot improve if Washington does not disrupt its cooperation with the Syrian Kurdish group.
In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying US allies, following the latter’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, paving the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group.
The Biden administration is likely to put pressure on Turkey over its energy dispute with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean, prompting a tense confrontation between two NATO members. Since then, Turkey has stopped the search for energy reserves in disputed waters, while Erdogan has softened his fiery rhetoric.
Gonul Tol, director of the Center for Turkish Studies at the Middle East Institute, said Turkey cannot give concessions to the eastern Mediterranean “because it is considered a national cause by a broad segment of Turkish society.”
The Biden administration is expected to place more emphasis on democracy and human rights than Trump. During a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Blinken stressed the “importance of democratic institutions, inclusive governance and respect for human rights” for Turkey, according to an American reading of the conversation .
Last week, Erdogan pledged to make a series of reforms to improve human rights, but analysts said they are unlikely to have a big impact or lead to the release from prison of well-known figures such as activist Osman Kavala, accused of links to government protests in 2013, as well as a failed coup attempt in 2016.
“For there to be a real re-establishment, the Biden administration needs to see more of a process of democratization … which can come in the form of major judicial reforms or by releasing some of the most controversial political figures,” he said. dir Tahiroglu.
Turkey is also seeking the extradition of US cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed military coup in 2016. U.S. officials say Ankara has not been able to present documents that would allow his extradition. Turkey accuses Washington of providing shelter.
It also threatens to disrupt ties in a lawsuit against Turkish state bank Halkbank, accused of helping Iran evade US $ 20 billion in sanctions.
“If the court rules Halkbank, it will be devastating for the Turkish economy and I don’t see how it can be restored after that,” Tol said.