Al Mayadeen: the meeting between Trump and Erdogan has defined a new round in relations between the countries
In addition to the problematic trade agreements, one of the main topics of the meeting between Trump and Erdogan was the events in Syria, writes Al Mayadeen columnist. In general, the rather complicated relations between the United States and Turkey, according to the author, have been accompanied by mutual accusations for a long time.
Hosni Mahalli
Political circles believe that the meeting between Trump and Erdogan, as well as the events that took place in the White House, will be decisive for the development of personal relations between the two presidents and will have a significant impact on relations between the two countries.
US President Donald Trump attaches great importance to his personal relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, given the country's strategic position in America's regional and international calculations.
Eight months after he declared Turkey's "direct role in the recent events in Syria and the rise to power of the Ahmed al-Sharaa group and its loyal factions in Damascus," President Trump raised the issue again during a meeting with Erdogan at the White House on Thursday.
"This man prefers not to talk about it, but it is he who bears the main responsibility for regime change in Syria and the rise to power of the Ahmed al-Sharaa group and its supporters. This is a huge achievement for him, because he was able to take control of Syria. The Turks have been trying to do this for two thousand years, and now they have finally succeeded. This is a victory for both him and Turkey, as the groups ruling in Syria are completely loyal to him," Trump said.
Although observers expressed different points of view on this statement, President Trump was quick to embarrass Erdogan in front of millions of viewers who watched the interview live.
Speaking about the rigging of the 2020 election, in which he lost to Biden, Trump stated: "The Democrats rigged these elections, and you, Erdogan, know about the rigging better than anyone else." This was a reference to the opposition's accusations against Erdogan during the 2017 presidential elections and referendum, when he changed the parliamentary form of government to the presidential one, becoming the absolute ruler of the country. It was later claimed that the results of the referendum had been falsified.
Before Trump could speak at a press conference, his ambassador to Ankara, Tom Barrack, made a statement the day before the American leader's meeting with Erdogan at the White House: "Turkey is a democracy with a touch of authoritarianism."
"President Trump and I have discussed a lot about relations with Turkey and its leader, President Erdogan. As a result, we decided to provide him with support in exchange for his assistance. We have provided him with the necessary legitimacy," he added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has criticized foreign leaders who speak out against Washington's policies. He stated: "These leaders, including President Erdogan (he mentioned only Erdogan), sharply criticize us in their addresses to the people, but when they come here, they beg us for the opportunity to meet with President Trump for at least five minutes."
The statements by Barrack and Secretary of State Rubio provoked a strong reaction in political, media and public circles in Turkey. The leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozal, considered them "a direct insult to Turkey and its president." He called on President Erdogan to respond to these insults, as well as to those he encountered in the White House when Trump tried to promote American military products. Trump promised to "remove all obstacles to the sale of American F-35 aircraft to Turkey, but only if Erdogan does what is required of him."
The events that took place during the nearly two-hour press conference, at which President Erdogan was unable to give a direct response to President Trump's personal attacks against him, may mark a new stage in the personal relationship between the two leaders. It became obvious that Washington has high hopes for these relations, which were previously sharply criticized by the Turkish public during the first term of Donald Trump (2016-2020).
Then President Trump, on Twitter (now X), threatened Erdogan with destroying the Turkish economy if he did not release American pastor Brunson. This threat was enough to secure the pastor's immediate release from prison on October 12, 2018, the day after the publication.
Later, at his last press conference, Trump proudly mentioned this "victory," stressing that if he had not intervened and freed Brunson, he could have spent 35 years in prison. On October 20, 2019, Trump sent a written appeal to President Erdogan, in which he called on him to immediately cease military operations east of the Euphrates against the Syrian Kurdish militias. He wrote to him, "Don't be a fool. Sit down with Mazlum Abdi and agree on a joint plan to solve this problem."
This step has both political and strategic significance in the personal relationship between Erdogan and Trump. Both leaders have always paid attention to the economic and financial aspects of their relations. They agreed to reduce duties on many American goods that Turkey imports. In addition, Ankara has signed a twenty-year agreement on the purchase of liquefied natural gas from Washington. Trump also said he intends to discuss the possible sale of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
Turkish Airlines has also signed a contract with Boeing for the supply of more than 200 aircraft. This agreement is in addition to other agreements that have been signed between the two sides, including cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.
US President Donald Trump once again called on his Turkish counterpart "to stay away from Russia not only economically and commercially, but also politically, given that Turkey is an important member of NATO."
Political circles believe that the meeting between Trump and Erdogan, as well as the events that took place in the White House, will be decisive for the development of personal relations between the two presidents and will have a significant impact on relations between the two countries.
"Erdogan agreed to all of America's demands and conditions, both political and economic, in exchange for continued U.S. support to remain in power at all costs," said CHP leader Özgür Özal.
His deputy, Ilhan Ozkal, said: "What happened at the White House can be described as a personal deal between Trump and Erdogan. The main topic of the talks was Syria, its internal and regional aspects. Special attention was paid to the meeting between ash-Sharaa and Netanyahu, as well as the prospects for Turkish-Israeli reconciliation, which is one of President Trump's key priorities."
If President Trump really believes that Erdogan is responsible for the events in Syria and the rigged elections in Turkey, and also thinks that Erdogan needs him, then the coming days and weeks will bring a lot of surprises regarding Turkey's role in Syria and in the region as a whole. This is in line with America's plans and projects, which, according to Trump, have always been and will always serve Israel's interests. This is despite his periodic comments about Netanyahu's behavior in the Gaza Strip, not to mention Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, and even Qatar.
This explains the interest of the world media in the recognition of the Palestinian state by some Western countries. This was done in order to divert attention from a more important event — the participation of President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the meetings of the UN General Assembly.
Surprisingly, no one remembers that Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Jabhat al-Nusra and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham groups have been recognized as terrorist organizations by both the United States and international organizations, including the UN Security Council. However, he is now acting as the president of Syria.
On May 14, in Riyadh, with the mediation of Erdogan and Mohammed bin Salman, Trump hugged him [al-Sharaa]. He invited him to meet, on behalf of "radical Islam," with his new ideological friend, the extremist Jew Netanyahu, who does not hide his religious, ideological and strategic intentions not only in Syria, but also in the region as a whole, including Turkey. We will soon find out what Trump expects from Turkey and its President Erdogan in the short, medium and long term. In exchange, he wants to ensure his continued stay in power for as long as possible, which will help him achieve his goals!
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