Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his US counterpart Joe Biden on Tuesday that he wants to open a “new era” with the United States, a statement that came after he lifted Turkey’s veto on Sweden’s entry into NATO, EFE agency writes.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Joe BidenPhoto: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Erdogan’s statement was made in front of the press at the start of a meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius. Erdogan also thanked Biden for congratulating him after winning the presidential election in May, EFE reported. Agerpres.
“Mr. President, my dear friend, I would like to first thank you for congratulating me on my current position after the election. Thank you for the congratulatory messages you sent me,” Erdogan began.
He added that it was time for Turkish and US heads of state to meet more often, and hailed their meeting as a “first step forward”.
“Our previous relations were limited, but now we are starting a new era,” Erdogan added. This new era of cooperation between Turkey and the United States will last at least five years, that is, until the end of the newly acquired presidential term, he further assessed, and expressed his desire that the alliance between their countries continue with his re-. Election. Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
This last comment surprised the US President, who replied with a smile: “Thank you! I hope to meet you again in the next five years”.
After Erdogan lifted his veto on Sweden’s entry into NATO, he accused Turkey of a lack of cooperation in deporting some people he believed to be linked to terrorist organizations, particularly from the Kurdish region.
The decision to lift the veto was announced on Monday after a meeting between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson mediated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
But as Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, acknowledged Tuesday, the U.S. also played an important role in the mediation, including some concessions. So, Sullivan said, Washington has informed Ankara that it is ready to supply Turkey with some F-16s, the last-generation version, the delivery of which has until now been blocked by the US Congress.
Also read: “How strange how everything worked out at the right time, isn’t it?” What did Erdogan get for giving up blocking Sweden’s entry into NATO?
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