President Tayyip Erdogan made an effort to mend Turkey’s tense relationship with the United States by extending an invitation to President-elect Donald Trump for an official visit. Erdogan also mentioned that during a phone conversation, Trump expressed positive remarks about Turkey. The announcement of Trump’s victory was met with enthusiasm in Turkey, a NATO member, with markets seeing a boost and some officials expressing cautious optimism about potential changes in U.S. economic policy. Speaking to reporters on his way back from a European summit in Budapest, Erdogan said he hoped Trump would accept his invitation.

Erdogan emphasized that he believed a visit from Trump would bolster the relationship between Turkey and the U.S. and result in a partnership “different from (Trump’s) previous term,” which had been marked by disputes that led to the U.S. imposing tariffs detrimental to Turkey’s economy. “We had a sincere call with Mr. Trump while he was at a family dinner (that included) Elon Musk and Musk’s child,” Erdogan said, referencing the Wednesday phone call as per a Turkish official summary. “He had very nice things to say about Turkey regarding the period ahead. We invited him to our country. I hope he accepts…”

Erdogan also suggested that collaboration with Trump’s administration could aid in resolving regional challenges. Erdogan, who has been in power for over two decades, is often criticized for an increasingly authoritarian approach, although he denies these claims. The relations between the U.S. and Turkey have been cool under President Joe Biden’s leadership, with Biden not visiting Turkey during his tenure. Additionally, a planned visit by Erdogan to the White House earlier this year fell apart without much explanation, further highlighting the frosty ties. While Erdogan and Trump had developed a personal rapport during Trump’s presidency (2017-2021), the period was also marked by tensions due to differing views on the U.S.’s relationship with Kurdish fighters in Syria and Turkey’s growing relationship with Russia.

A member of Erdogan’s AK Party told Reuters that Turkey anticipates a more flexible and understanding approach from Trump’s administration, particularly concerning its security concerns related to the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) operating in Syria and Iraq. Following Trump’s election win, Turkey’s currency, the lira, saw its strongest performance in weeks, and stocks in Istanbul climbed by over 5%. Trade Minister Omer Bolat expressed hope that Trump would reduce tariffs on Turkey’s steel and textile exports, despite Trump’s broader pledge to impose a 10% tariff on all imported goods.

The consequences of previous tensions between the U.S. and Turkey under Trump’s first term remain unresolved, especially after Turkey’s purchase of a Russian missile defense system angered Washington, along with the imprisonment of U.S. citizens, including a pastor. These tensions severely impacted Turkey’s economy, with Trump’s imposition of higher tariffs on metal imports in 2018 contributing to a series of lira crises and soaring inflation. The situation worsened in 2019 when Turkey launched a military operation against a Syrian Kurdish militia that Turkey labels a terrorist group but which had been allied with the U.S. in the fight against ISIS. At that time, Trump threatened to “totally destroy and obliterate” the Turkish economy in response to the operation, sending Erdogan a letter that read: “You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy – and I will.”

Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and head of the Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), suggested that Turkey would likely welcome a Trump victory in the short term, as it could make it easier to reestablish communication after the somewhat distant relationship with Biden. However, he also pointed out that longstanding foreign policy disagreements, such as those related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Syria, could continue to complicate matters in the future. “Ankara will try to create an agenda aimed at a reset in Turkish-American ties. This can easily turn into a more transactional relationship that Trump can get on board with,” he stated. “What the United States’ expectation will be of Turkey in such a relationship, that needs to be cleared up.”

{Matzav.com}