US Biden and Turkish President to hold their first White House meeting on May
Shafaq News/ On Friday, US and Turkish officials confirmed that US President Joe Biden is scheduled to host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on May 9. This will mark the Turkish leader's first bilateral visit to Washington since Donald Trump was president.
According to a US official speaking to Reuters, Washington views the upcoming meeting as an opportunity for Erdogan to commit to a complete ban on the transit of dual-use goods through Turkiye, which Russia allegedly utilizes in its military activities in Ukraine.
During the visit, the Biden administration aims to secure Ankara's agreement to prohibit specified "dual-use" items such as chemicals and microchips from being exported to Russia and other countries acting as intermediaries, the official noted.
Washington has already imposed sanctions on several Turkish entities and individuals, particularly in the shipping sector, for violating sanctions. Although Turkiye supports Ukraine, it opposes Western sanctions against Russia and maintains strong relations with Moscow. However, Turkiye asserts that these sanctions will not be bypassed on its territory.
"The US inter-agency remains skeptical about Turkiye's enforcement measures," the official stated. "There are certain activities they are overlooking...they should proactively engage with companies and instruct them to cease business dealings with entities that could lead to sanctions."
One Turkish official described to Reuters the visit as occurring within "a window of opportunity" for strengthening bilateral relations.
"We anticipate that the visit will serve as a chance to enhance collaboration across multiple domains and reinforce the alliance's ethos, particularly regarding counter-terrorism," the official stated, preferring to remain anonymous.
The second Turkish source, a security official, mentioned that Turkiye's top intelligence official, Ibrahim Kalin, was scheduled to meet with US House of Representatives members to discuss the upcoming visit and other matters of bilateral concern.
Notably, the relationship between the two NATO allies has experienced ups and downs due to various issues. Still, there have been recent improvements, such as Ankara's approval of Sweden's NATO membership after a significant delay. However, challenges remain, particularly regarding northern Syria, where US forces collaborate with Kurdish groups that Turkiye views as terrorist organizations and has conducted military operations against.
Turkiye has expressed concerns over US support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG Kurdish forces, which Turkiye considers a terrorist group. However, the US sees the YPG as an ally in the fight against ISIS in Syria
