UPDATE: According to a White House statement on the two leaders’ meeting, President Biden stressed to his Turkish counterpart his desire to maintain constructive relations between the two countries, to expand their areas of cooperation and to manage their differences effectively.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on the margins of the G20 Summit. President Biden underscored his desire to maintain constructive relations, expand areas of cooperation, and manage our disagreements effectively. He expressed appreciation for Turkey’s nearly two decades of contributions to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. The leaders discussed the political process in Syria, the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Afghans in need, elections in Libya, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, and diplomatic efforts in the South Caucasus. President Biden reaffirmed our defense partnership and Turkey’s importance as a NATO Ally, but noted U.S. concerns over Turkey’s possession of the Russian S-400 missile system. He also emphasized the importance of strong democratic institutions, respect for human rights, and the rule of law for peace and prosperity.
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At 11.10′ a.m. (Greek time) began the meeting between the US President Joe Biden with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which ended about half an hour later.
In their conversation, as a US official revealed on Saturday, Biden intended to warn his Turkish counterpart that his moves do not benefit the bilateral relationship and that crises should be avoided.
Shortly before entering the meeting room, and as they stood together in front of reporters for the photo shoot, a journalist asked Biden if the United States “plans to give F-16s” to Turkey, with the US president refraining from answering, saying “we plan to have a good discussion”.
Other journalists asked if the meeting would address the issue of human rights in Turkey, and also received no response.
Reporters to Biden “will you give F16s to Turkey? ” will you raise human rights?” “Why wont you raise human rights sir?” “Is Turkey too close to Russia?”
That priceless look on Erdogans face🤣🤣#Erdogan #Biden #Turkey #G20RomeSummit pic.twitter.com/Oga8C6xYMg— Karl Håkon Gulbrandsen/ Karwan (@KarlGulbrandsen) October 31, 2021
According to a senior Turkish official, the meeting between the two leaders took place in a “very positive atmosphere” and according to Turkish state media, the two agreed to set up a mechanism to improve their bilateral relations.
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Also present at the meeting were the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Mevlüt Cavusoglou and Anthony Blinken.
