Turkish and American foreign ministers will meet in New York on May 18 as part of the “strategic mechanism” created in the past months.
The participation of Finland and Sweden in NATO will also be on the agenda at the meeting, which will be held during a period when relations between Ankara and Washington are on a positive note on issues such as the sale of F-16s.
Ankara expects Washington and other allies to better understand the national security concerns, especially arising from the YPG, in the new security environment that has developed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey-US relations, which have undergone serious convulsions in recent years, were showing signs of normalization as of mid-2021. The development that really affected the relations and accelerated the process was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
The diplomatic traffic that started between the two allies since the start of the attack, the high-level visits to the capitals, the phone call between the leaders of the two countries, and the meeting of Çavuşoğlu and Blinken in international meetings.
In the continuation of this process, Çavuşoğlu and Blinken will meet in the USA on May 18 and will evaluate both bilateral relations and international developments, especially the Ukraine crisis. However, this appointment will not be in Washington, as Ankara expected, but in New York.
In a written statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, it was noted that the main purpose of Çavuşoğlu’s visit to the USA was to “participate in the International Migration Review Forum, which will be held for the first time under the umbrella of the UN General Assembly”, and emphasized that he will be in New York on May 16-19. .
Within the framework of the visit, Çavuşoğlu, who will attend the “Global Food Security Call for Action” meeting to be held at the UN, hosted by Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, will also hold some bilateral meetings. He will hold the first meeting of the Turkey-USA Strategic Mechanism at the level of Foreign Ministers, and will also meet with members of the Turkish-American community in New York.
A day before the meeting of the two foreign ministers, Deputy Secretary of State Sedat Önal and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met in Washington.
The US State Department said in a statement that Sherman thanked Turkey for its strong support to Ukraine, while discussing the need for “solidarity” with NATO allies and partners against Russia’s attack.
The statement of the US State Department revealed that Sweden and Finland’s accession process to NATO is among the priority agenda items during the Çavuşoğlu-Blinken meeting.
Turkey’s objection to Sweden and Finland will be discussed
Ankara’s objection to the NATO membership application of two Scandinavian countries will be one of the hottest topics of the meeting of the two ministers in New York.
The United States announced its support for the participation of these two countries in the alliance with a statement from the White House, and it was noted that the necessary approval from the Senate could be obtained this summer.
The USA, which attaches great importance to the participation of Sweden and Finland, which are among the leading partners of NATO, in the alliance, evaluates that this step will be a strategic gain in the total defense of Europe against Russia.
The US Secretary of State, Blinken, who did not want this process to be hindered, stated in his statement on the subject that the negotiations were continuing and expressed the view that “I am sure we will reach a consensus”.
Attaching great importance to the NATO Summit, which will take place in Madrid on 29-30 June and where the Strategic Concept of the alliance will be adopted, the USA does not want any development that will overshadow this summit.
It is noted that Çavuşoğlu will convey Ankara’s position on Sweden’s accession process during this meeting.
In their statements, both President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Çavuşoğlu brought up the military, economic and political support of the Stockholm administration to the YPG under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDG) in northern Syria and stated that they cannot take part in a security organization with a country they accuse of “supporting terrorism”. they had recorded.
The YPG issue with the USA is also on the agenda
The issue that will come to the agenda in Çavuşoğlu’s meeting with Blinken will not be limited to Sweden.
Turkey has been criticizing the US for a very long time that the YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK, and therefore the aid to this organization is made to the PKK.
Some countries that are members of the coalition established to fight ISIS under the leadership of the USA also provide military equipment and financial support to the YPG.
It was reflected in the Turkish press that among the weapons of Swedish origin given to the YPG and that Turkey claimed were also used by the PKK, shoulder-fired missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles were also included.
It is expected that Turkey will convey to the United States that Washington can also contribute to the resolution of the crisis with Sweden, and that the existing cooperation with the YPG should be reviewed for this purpose.
How will the strategic mechanism work?
The ministers’ meeting in New York is also important in terms of operating the strategic mechanism established in bilateral relations at the ministerial level for the first time and in terms of planning the next process.
Ankara wants this mechanism to be developed in a way that will develop concrete cooperation in many areas so that it does not remain in words, and expects steps to be taken especially in the commercial, defense industry and security areas.
The Turkish side is also seeking to raise this mechanism to the level of leaders and to advance the process uninterruptedly through regular meetings.
In addition to solving the problem regarding the YPG, Ankara’s goals are to remove the American sanctions imposed due to the S-400 air defense systems purchased from Russia.
The American side, on the other hand, points to areas of cooperation that can be implemented in a very short time rather than a long-term structuring. Increasing trade with Turkey, taking joint steps on renewable energy and climate change are among the priorities of the USA.
In the strategic area, there is Turkey’s demand for 40 new aircraft and 80 modernization kits to renew its F-16 fleet.
The US administration has a positive approach to the F-16 application so that Turkey, which has been removed from the F-35 new generation fighter jet program due to the S-400s, will not experience any weakness in its air defense.
It was reflected in the American press that the necessary attempt was made for congressional approval. The outcome of this initiative will be important not only in terms of showing the influence of the White House on Congress, but also in determining the direction of Turkish-American relations.
Can the negative atmosphere be overcome in Congress?
Despite the positive approach of the Biden administration, it is among the evaluations made in Ankara and Washington that the anti-Turkey sentiment in the US Congress is still strong and that more efforts should be made to overcome this.
Despite its military and political support to Ukraine, Turkey decided to continue its commercial and economic relations with Russia and did not participate in the sanctions. This attitude has been criticized in Congress.
In addition, the intense criticism of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis towards Turkey during his last visit to Washington and the activities of the Greek lobby are seen as negative for Ankara.
In response, Turkey, which increased its initiatives before the US Congress and sent a high-level parliamentary delegation to Washington last week, seeks to strengthen its position before the Congress.
In this context, it is noted that Çavuşoğlu, who is trying to take the powerful Jewish lobby with him in the USA, may also meet with Jewish community leaders while he is in New York.
Çavuşoğlu will also go to Israel on May 25.
Human rights and regression in democratization are among the issues that strengthen the critical atmosphere towards Turkey in the Congress and the US public.
The convictions in Osman Kavala and Gezi Park cases and the closure case against HDP were closely watched by the USA.
In these respects, it is expected that Blinken will also touch on human rights issues in his meeting with Çavuşoğlu and convey Washington’s concerns.