STORY: Will NATO deal warm up U.S.-Türkiye ties?
SHOOTING TIME: file
DATELINE: Feb. 12, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:42
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of an old meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with U.S. President Joe Biden in Spain
2. various of the headquarters of NATO
3. various of the trilateral meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Lithuania (courtesy of Turkish Presidency)
4. various of Turkish F-16 fighter jets  
5. various of an old high council meeting of Türkiye-Sweden-Finland and NATO in Türkiye
6. various of an old meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with U.S. President Joe Biden in Indonesia
7. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish) : ALI OGUZ DIRIOZ, Associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology
8. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish) : ALI OGUZ DIRIOZ, Associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology
9. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish) : ALI OGUZ DIRIOZ, Associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology
10. SOUNDBITE 4 (Turkish) : ALI OGUZ DIRIOZ, Associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology

STORYLINE:

Türkiye's ratification of Sweden's NATO entry which led to the approval of weapon sales by the United States has given a boost to the uneasy relationship between the two countries, but other thorny issues remain, experts said.
   
Following nearly two years of delay, the Turkish parliament ratified the Nordic country's entry to the Western military alliance late last month, a decision swiftly approved by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
   
Subsequently, the United States has approved the multi-billion sale of 40 F-16 fighter jets to Ankara and modernization packages for its existing fleet of U.S.-made aircraft.
   
Erdogan made Sweden's membership contingent on approving the sale of the new planes.
   
The conclusion of this long-sought deal may reverse a downtrend in bilateral relations that have caused tensions between the two NATO allies in the last decade, according to analysts.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish) : ALI OGUZ DIRIOZ, Associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology
"The Sweden-F-16 deal will certainly have a positive impact on bilateral ties."
   
In Dirioz's view, it will be important for both sides to continue the momentum to some extent and gradually reduce the problematic points in bilateral relations.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish) : ALI OGUZ DIRIOZ, Associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology
"Türkiye and the U.S. are allied countries. They are together in NATO, that is, in a security alliance. However, in addition to common points, there are also problematic points and disagreements. This is normal to some extent. Because no matter which countries you consider, it is difficult to find examples that completely overlap with each other and that does not have problems in bilateral relations between countries. The approval of Sweden's NATO membership by the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the U.S. administration's green light for the sale of F-16s to Türkiye are positive steps and will accelerate bilateral relations."

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute, echoed Dirioz's remarks.
   
He told Xinhua that the end of the Ankara-Washington standoff constitutes "the first real opportunity to kick off a much-anticipated virtuous cycle in U.S.-Türkiye ties" since key divergences in bilateral ties emerged a decade ago in Syria.
   
Ankara has launched several incursions in northern Syria against Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which it considers a "terrorist threat".
   
Turkish operations against the YPG have long been a source of strong disputes between Türkiye and the U.S., as the latter considers the Syrian Kurds to be an ally in the fight against the Islamic State and provides them with training, arms, and political protection.
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish) : ALI OGUZ DIRIOZ, Associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology
"Türkiye and the U.S. have a different understanding of terrorism notion, and this is reflected in their opposite views regarding the Kurdish YPG faction in northern Syria. This deal may very well lead to different cooperation opportunities between the two allies, including Syria."

Cagaptay said he anticipates a possible invitation from U.S. President Joe Biden for his Turkish counterpart to meet him in the White House in the coming months.

The Turkish leader has not officially visited the U.S. yet since Biden was elected in office in 2020.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Turkish) : ALI OGUZ DIRIOZ, Associate professor of international relations at Ankara's TOBB University of Economics and Technology
"Usually the U.S. presidents are bolder in foreign policy decisions if they are rejected for a second term of office. If Biden or Trump gets reelected, this may lead to courageous, constructive, and proactive moves toward other nations, including Türkiye."

Türkiye's deepening cooperation with Russia is another source of friction in the Turkish-American relationship.
   
Ankara's purchase of sophisticated Russian S-400 defense systems exacerbated friction with Washington and other NATO partners.
   
U.S. Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland encouraged Ankara to give up its Russian-made air defense system for its return to the fifth-generation F-35 stealth jet fighter program during her visit to Türkiye in late January.
   
In an interview with CNN Turk, she said the U.S. would welcome Türkiye back into the F-35 project if it addressed outstanding concerns over the presence of Russian-made missile systems in the country.
   
Türkiye was one of the main contributors to the F-35 program and had planned to buy 100 jets. But in 2019, it found itself kicked out of the project by Washington who argued that the S-400s and the F-35 could not co-exist.
   
Ankara, which has spent 2.5 billion dollars on the project, did not officially comment on the American diplomat's remarks.
   
Nuland also stressed that Türkiye's acquisition of the F-16s is a "priority" for the U.S.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)