ISTANBUL (AP), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdan said Friday that the recent talks with Joe Biden were disappointing and that Turkey, a NATO member would seek closer ties.
Erdogan spoke after prayers in Istanbul and said that he and Biden failed to reach an agreement during a meeting that took place this week at the UN General Assembly.
The outcome of the talks with Mr. Biden, which I had been expecting, was not what I expected. He said that we should be at a different place as NATO countries.
Erdogan also criticised the U.S. support of Kurdish militants fighting in Syria against Islamic State. Ankara regards them as terrorists because of their connections to the Kurdistan Workers Party (or PKK), which has waged an insurgency against Turkey for 37 years. Turkey is home to a large Kurdish minority. The U.S. and EU have both listed the PKK as a terrorist organisation.
He said that America isn't fighting terrorist groups enough. Instead, it is giving them lots of weapons and equipment.
Erdogan will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at Sochi, Black Sea resort on September 29th. The leaders will focus on Syria's situation.
Russia is the principal ally of the Syrian government, while Turkey supports those who have fought against President Bashar al-Assad. Russian and Turkish troops cooperated in Idlib (the last holdout of rebel forces) and in seeking a political resolution in war-torn Syria.
Erdogan stated that he would try to improve relations with Moscow when he meets Putin. He said that we are committed to strengthening our bilateral relations with Russia.
For many years, the ties between Turkey and the U.S. have been strained. Two years ago, they were further weakened when Ankara purchased a Russian missile defense systems. This purchase resulted in Turkey being expelled from the U.S.-led F-35 stealth fighter plane project and U.S. sanctions on top Turkish defense industry officials.
Erdogan raised the F-35 matter with journalists before he left New York on Thursday. He warned that the current state of U.S.-Turkey relations is not good.
