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A senior Turkish official revealed that “Turkey is off to a good start with US President-elect Joe Biden.”
Kalin, speaking from Azerbaijan, who is currently visiting, added: “Joe Biden knows our president personally … and understands the geopolitical and strategic importance of Turkey.”
He noted that the crisis related to Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, which caused tension in relations with Washington in recent years, is not insurmountable, saying: “From a military-technical point of view, this problem can be solved. ”
Kalin added, warning: “We also know that it is no longer a military technical problem and Congress is making it a political issue … but punishing Turkey for that will be counterproductive.”
A spokesman for the Turkish president emphasized “two important issues for Turkey’s national security” in what he expects from the Biden administration.
The first issue for Washington’s Kurdish allies is the fight against jihadists in Syria, whom Ankara considers a branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey and the United States consider a “terrorist” organization.
“We hope there will be a change in this policy,” Kalin said, while the Democrats made protecting their alliances one of their priorities.
The second issue is the “inaction of successive US governments” regarding “the existence of networks linked to (preacher Fethullah) Gulen in the United States,” Kalin said.
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