Why Erdogan-Trump honeymoon may be short-lived
Donald Trump’s victory is welcomed by President Erdogan and his supporters, who say this could be the start of a new beginning in ties. Is that really the case?
Donald Trump’s election as president may have sent shock waves across the world, leaving many countries deeply concerned, but it has had the opposite effect in Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are pleased with this turn of events.
Remarks by Trump to The New York Times in July, where he praised Erdogan for foiling the July 15 coup attempt and suggested that instead of criticizing Turkey, the United States should consider the state of its own civil liberties, are also being recalled with pleasure in Ankara.
Erdogan has little sympathy for President Barack Obama, who openly criticized the deteriorating state of democracy in Turkey and appeared reluctant to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the Islamic cleric accused of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt. Obama’s policies in Iraq and Syria, which did not match Ankara’s expectations, were also a source of aggravation for Erdogan.
Erdogan’s first reaction to Trump’s victory was welcoming. Addressing a business forum in Istanbul on Nov. 9, he said that a new era was opening with America’s choice, and he wanted to consider this an auspicious occasion.
