Turkey hopes to begin a “new process” with the United States, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a meeting with his U.S. counterpart at a landmark NATO summit in Lithuania.
Speaking on the summit’s sidelines on July 11, Mr. Erdogan said it was “high time for the [U.S. and Turkish] heads of state to get together for further consultations.”
“Today’s meeting with you ... is the first step forward,” he told U.S. President Joe Biden, according to a White House readout of the conversation.
“Our meetings prior to this were mere warmups. But now, we are initiating a new process.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (R) shake hands next to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg prior to their meeting, on the eve of a NATO summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 10, 2023. Yves Herman/Pool via Reuters
Mr. Erdogan’s comments came one day after Turkey surprised many observers by abruptly lifting its longstanding veto on a bid by Sweden to join the NATO alliance.
Before joining NATO, applicants must be approved by all the alliance’s existing members. Turkey joined NATO in 1952.
Previously, Ankara had refused to endorse Sweden’s NATO bid, saying the country was providing a haven to members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Ankara, along with Brussels and Washington, views the PKK as a terrorist group.
During their conversation, Mr. Biden thanked Mr. Erdogan for the latter’s “historic” decision to lift his objection to Sweden joining NATO.
“I want to thank you for your diplomacy and your courage to take that on,” Mr. Biden said. “And I want to thank you for your leadership.”
According to the White House, the two men also discussed “regional issues of shared interest, including their enduring support for Ukraine and the importance of preserving stability in the Aegean.”
Quid Pro Quo
After meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Mr. Erdogan pledged to submit Sweden’s NATO accession protocol to Turkey’s parliament for ratification.“The Turkish Grand National Assembly is to vote on Sweden’s NATO accession protocols,” Mr. Erdogan confirmed on July 12. “Our deputies [in parliament] will closely follow the issue.”
On the same day, however, Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), said Sweden hasn’t done enough to rein in the PKK.
The MHP is an ally of Mr. Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, which relies on Mr. Bahceli’s nationalist party to enact legislation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose during their meeting in the Kremlin on March 5, 2020. Mikhail Klimentyev/ Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Nevertheless, Stockholm has promised to repay Mr. Erdogan’s efforts by helping Turkey’s ambition to one day join the European Union, which it has sought since 2005.
While full membership in the bloc remains a distant prospect, Turkey hopes to secure visa-free travel to Europe for its citizens and stepped-up access to European markets.
Pledges of support for Turkey’s EU bid weren’t the only concessions that Mr. Erdogan won at the NATO summit, which wrapped up on July 11.
Soon after Ankara lifted its veto, Washington declared its readiness to proceed with the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
Since 2021, Turkey has sought to buy dozens of U.S.-made F-16s, along with modernization kits for warplanes already in its inventory.
But Washington has kept the multibillion-dollar deal on ice, citing Ankara’s purchase in 2019 of S-400 missile-defense systems from Russia.
Notably, several U.S. lawmakers had called for making the F-16 sale contingent on Ankara’s approval of Sweden’s NATO bid.
Foreign Policy Shift?
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Turkey has sought to maintain a degree of neutrality in the conflict.While Ankara was quick to condemn the invasion, it has declined to support Western-led sanctions on Moscow—to the chagrin of its NATO allies.
Under Mr. Erdogan, Turkey has maintained relatively good relations with Russia, with which it shares extensive trade ties and a lengthy maritime border.
What’s more, Mr. Erdogan—who recently secured another five-year term as president—remains on good terms with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
However, recent days have seen indications of a possible tilt by Turkey toward the West.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends an annual end-of-year news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow on Dec. 23, 2021. Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuter
On July 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Turkey for the first time since Russia launched its invasion.
During the visit, Mr. Erdogan described Ankara’s relations with Kyiv as “stronger in every way.”
In a comment that no doubt raised hackles in Moscow, he noted that Ukraine “deserved” to be admitted to NATO.
And in a move that surprised many observers, Mr. Zelenskyy departed Istanbul with five Ukrainian Azov Battalion commanders.
Under an earlier Turkey-brokered prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, the five men had been meant to remain in Turkey until the end of the conflict.
Moscow described the commanders’ return to Ukraine as a “violation of existing agreements,” stating that it hadn’t been informed of the move in advance.
Mr. Zelenskyy, for his part, has yet to explain why the men were allowed to leave Turkey. Nor has Ankara officially commented on its apparent breach of the terms of the prisoner swap.
On July 12, Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, said the unexpected move by Ankara “doesn’t make Turkey look good.”
Cold Shoulder From Moscow
Commenting on Ankara’s decision to drop its objection to Sweden’s NATO bid, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov conceded that Turkey—as an alliance member—“has its obligations.”“We have no illusions about this,” he said on July 11.
When asked about a possible foreign-policy shift by Ankara, Mr. Peskov said: “There were times in Turkey’s history when it was oriented heavily toward the West—and times when it was not so Western-oriented.
“Notwithstanding our well-known differences in opinion, we intend to continue developing ... our relationship with Turkey, wherever it benefits us and benefits them.”
According to recent statements from both Moscow and Ankara, Mr. Putin is expected to visit Turkey sometime next month for talks with his Turkish counterpart.
But on July 12, when asked if Mr. Putin planned to speak with Mr. Erdogan in the short term, Mr. Peskov replied: “Not yet.”
