Skip to main content

Erdogan says Turkish relations with US not 'healthy'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan added that the trajectory of US-Turkey ties "does not bode well."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan(R) arrives to address the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 21, 2021, in New York.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that his country’s relationship with the United States was not “healthy.”

"I cannot say that a healthy process is running in Turkish-American ties,” Turkish broadcaster Haberturk quoted him as telling Turkish journalists on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

“It is my hope that, as two NATO countries, we should treat each other with friendship, not hostility,” Erdogan said. “But the current trajectory does not bode well.”

Ankara’s standing in Washington has soured over Turkey’s military campaign against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, its deteriorating human rights record, Ankara’s gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and an ongoing US court case against a Turkish state-owned bank.

Relations further soured when President Joe Biden in April became the first American president to formally recognize the century-old massacre of Armenians in modern-day Turkey as “genocide.”

But the greatest source of strain has been Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system, which the United States says poses a threat to NATO’s air defense capabilities and could compromise the security of its own F-35 stealth fighter jets.

In response to the multibillion-dollar purchase, the Trump administration removed Turkey from the F-35 program and slapped limited sanctions on Ankara under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Biden and Erdogan discussed the S-400 issue but did not reach a resolution during their meeting at the NATO summit in June. US officials say they will maintain the CAATSA sanctions and have threatened additional sanctions if Turkey makes another major arms purchase from Russia.

“We bought F-35s. We paid $1.4 billion, and these F-35s were not given to us,” Erdogan said. “The United States needs to first sort this out.”

Erdogan’s comments follow a meeting between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Turkish counterpart, Ibrahim Kalin, on Wednesday. According to a US readout of the meeting, the pair “agreed on the importance of continued dialogue to enhance the US-Turkey bilateral relationship."

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial