Fearing Türkiye is 'flirting' with Russia, the US is trying to 'woo' it

The US vice president is in Ankara to shore up shaky relations over the extradition of an exiled cleric accused of being behind the Turkish coup.

US Vice President Joe Biden. Photo: Reuters

US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Ankara on August 24, becoming the highest-ranking US official to visit Türkiye since the failed coup last month.

Biden will seek to convey the message that the United States values ​​Türkiye as a key NATO ally, amid worrying signs that the two countries' approaches to the conflict in Syria may be "out of sync," according to AP.

Türkiye's Justice Ministry said on August 23 that it had met with US Justice and State Department officials in Ankara ahead of Mr Biden's visit.

America is insecure

Tensions between the two countries have simmered since the July 15 coup attempt in Türkiye. US leaders were angered when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the US of supporting or backing the coup. When the US issued a statement denying the accusation, Turkish officials complained that Washington was slow to support Ankara when it needed it most, despite having expressed support for Erdogan during the coup.

AP commentator Josh Lederman said the US is uneasy about Türkiye's recent diplomatic overtures to Russia and Iran, two of America's rivals. These moves suggest that Turkey, in a difficult situation, may rethink its alliance with the West to maintain stability in the region.

Earlier this month, Erdogan traveled to Moscow to boost ties and possibly seek coordination on ending the civil war in Syria, something Moscow has failed to achieve with Washington. Following a surprise visit to Iran by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu last week, local media reported that Erdogan planned to visit Tehran on August 24, the same day he was scheduled to meet Biden.

"By moving closer to Russia and Iran, President Erdogan is clearly sending a message that he is unhappy with the West's attitude. Türkiye still wants to stay in NATO and wants to join the European Union (EU), but the atmosphere is much worse than before the coup," said Bulent Aliriza, an analyst at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The US is even more concerned that Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim appears open to the possibility of Syrian President Bashar Assad continuing to play a role in a transitional government. For years, Türkiye and the US have both called for Assad to be removed and have been adamant that he will not be part of a future Syrian government.

Difficult request

A breakdown in relations with Türkiye would be a major problem for the United States, which hopes Turkey will pursue a common approach to fighting the Islamic State (IS) group and countering extremism across the Middle East, according to commentator Josh Lederman. Located between Europe and Asia, Türkiye shares borders with Iraq, Iran and Syria, through which IS fighters can enter Türkiye and IS recruits can travel to Syria after passing through Türkiye.

However, the US and Türkiye are unlikely to resolve the dispute over Gulen, a cleric who has lived in exile in Pennsylvania for the past 17 years. Gulen denies any involvement in the coup attempt, but the Turkish government has insisted that the US extradite him immediately.

U.S. officials said the Aug. 23 talks in Ankara involved the creation of a Justice Department team tasked with assessing Turkey’s requests for Gulen’s extradition. They said Biden intended to tell Turkish leaders during his visit that their public accusations of U.S. involvement in the coup would not help their cause.

"Everyone wants Mr. Gulen to be returned to Türkiye immediately. If the extradition request is rejected or delayed, I fear that this will lead to serious consequences," said Gulnur Aybet, a lecturer in international relations at Bahcesehir University in Türkiye.

According to VNE