Türkiye, US talk ahead of Erdoğan’s expected visit to Washington

Senior Turkish and American diplomats have exchanged views on unfolding developments in the Middle East and the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as bilateral ties ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's planned trip to Washington in early May.

Under Secretary of State Department John Bass, who came to Ankara upon the invitation of Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar, held talks at the Foreign Ministry on April 16 with Çağatay Akif Kılıç, the presidential foreign policy advisor. The U.S. diplomat was also received by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan late on April 15.

The talks in Ankara were a continuation of the Turkish-American Strategic Mechanism, which took place at the level of foreign ministers in March. One of the main issues on the table was a planned visit by Erdoğan to the United States to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. Although not confirmed, the visit is expected to take place on May 8 and 9. It will be Erdoğan's first White House trip since Biden took office in 2020.

According to diplomatic sources, the Turkish-American consultations deliberated on matters including Turkish-American relations, Israel's military operations in Palestine, the current state of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the recent strained relations between Iran and Israel. They also discussed the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Türkiye has been playing a crucial role in efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the same table for a ceasefire, which would be followed by peace negotiations. It also brokered the Black Sea Initiative between 2022 and 2023, which resulted in the flow of more than 33 million tons of wheat and other food products to the world markets.

In the Middle East, Türkiye urges the U.S. to convince Israel of a ceasefire...