Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has visited the USA to participate in the United Nations General Assembly. The President's program in New York includes a series of bilateral meetings at the Turkish House. He will then travel to Washington and meet with US President Donald Trump.
The focus is on how this meeting will affect Ankara–Washington relations and Turkey's ties with Russia and China.
Turkish security expert Yücel Karauz stated in a declaration to Modern.az that Turkey-US relations are not issues that will completely change with one meeting:
“Turkey's dialogue with China and Russia, and its relations with the SCO and BRICS, will not change their form with one meeting. The idea put forward by Devlet Bahçeli is also related to this. Turkey should work not only with one international power center but with several power centers, and no power can dictate to us. During the Trump era, there are new opportunities for cooperation both bilaterally and within the NATO framework. Phone conversations have already taken place, and now this dialogue will continue with the meeting.”
The expert also noted that the main agenda in discussions with the US includes economic and defense industry issues:
“Trump is a businessman; in his messages, he always prioritizes economy and trade. Erdoğan also highlighted both economic and regional issues on the eve of his visit to the US. Topics such as the delivery of F-16 Block 70/72s for Turkey to restore its military air power, the return of F-35s for which it previously paid, and the lifting of sanctions imposed due to S-400s are on the table. Additionally, a new civil aircraft agreement between Turkish Airlines and Boeing is also expected.”
No Sharp Turn in Relations with Russia and China
Karauz believes that there will be no significant change in Ankara's policy towards Russia and China after this meeting:
“Turkey's stance against terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq will also not change in the short term. The main issue is to continue the dialogue. Erdoğan and Trump can discuss problems directly, which is already a positive start. We may see positive developments in the near future.”
The expert added that Turkey is still one of NATO's 32 members and has a long-standing tradition of cooperation with the West, therefore, a sharp turn in foreign policy is not expected.
