President Erdoğan says will discuss Turkey-US tensions with Biden

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 1 said he will discuss the recent tensions between the U.S. and Turkey with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, in the upcoming NATO leaders' summit. 

In a late-night interview with national broadcaster TRT, Erdoğan said "preliminary preparations" have been made ahead of the meeting.

"At the meeting, we will ask why the Turkey-U.S. relations are going through such a tense period," said Erdoğan. 

The meeting between Erdoğan and Biden will take place on the sidelines of the June 14 NATO leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium. 

Erdoğan recalled he had worked with former American presidents both from Democrats and Republicans, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump, saying he did not "have such a tension with any of them".

The president said the most recent tension between the two NATO allies was caused by Biden's recognition of 1915 events as "genocide".

Erdoğan criticized his American counterpart once again and reiterated his call that historians and legal experts, but not politicians, should work on the so-called Armenian allegations.

When asked if there was any other reason behind Biden's decision on genocide claims, the president said "Turkey is used to such things," without elaborating. 

"Those who corner Turkey this way will lose an important friend," said Erdoğan, adding Turkey is "a strong and reliable partner" at NATO. 

There are two other important issues in the U.S.-Turkey relations; one is the US support for terrorist YPG/PKK and its inaction on FETÖ whose leader resides in the U.S., said Erdoğan. 

He reiterated disappointment over the U.S.' support for YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria. 

"We have provided every evidence revealing...