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After years of lack of trust, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a high-level NATO meeting in Washington on Tuesday. Erdogan hopes it will be a new beginning in relations with Western allies, VOA’s Dorian Jones reports.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attending a three-day high-level NATO meeting in Washington after years of disagreements with other NATO members.
Analysts said Erdogan came into the Washington meeting in a better mood, having addressed pressing issues raised during previous high-level meetings.
“Before, NATO was expanded with Sweden and Finland. Now this issue has been resolved. Turkey supports the appointment of former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the new Secretary-General. In general, Turkey supports the decision on NATO aid to Ukraine”said Sinan Ulgen, an analyst at the Center for Economic Research and Foreign Policy.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to strain relations with NATO allies. His relationship with Mr. Putin was highlighted during a special meeting with him within the framework of the work of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Turkey also refused to impose sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.
Both Washington and Ankara need to care about bilateral relations.
“It is understood that as a neighbor of Russia, there are many interdependencies; this is something that cannot be avoided. However, Turkey, on the other hand, is very cautious not to cross the red lines set by the current US and EU sanctions against Russia.”, said Mr. Urgen.
The high-level NATO meeting in Washington will provide Erdogan with an opportunity to meet with President Joe Biden. Analysts believe that Turkey’s growing role in Africa, Central Asia and the Caucasus could serve as an impetus for the US government to strengthen cooperation with Ankara.
“The U.S. government and Turkish officials have turned their sights to Africa, where Turkey has ambitions to expand its economic and security influence. There is also a growing focus on Central Asia and efforts to give Turkey a larger role in the Balkans to support U.S. efforts to support stability and the EU’s eastward expansion process.original edition by Edin Tasbas, Brookings Institution.
A meeting between Erdogan and President Biden in Washington in May was canceled because of Israel’s war in Gaza, and analysts say that could again be a reason not to hold a separate meeting during the NATO summit. / VOA.
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