Closer ties between Trump and Erdoğan
At a meeting at the White House last Thursday, US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaffirmed their intention to deepen the strategic partnership between their two countries. The discussions focused on military equipment and trade as well as developing a joint initiative for a ceasefire in Gaza. Commentators take stock.
Meeting as equals
The meeting made clear just how much respect Trump has for Erdoğan, Habertürk stresses:
“At yesterday's press conference in the White House the US president took his praise to another level. ... It's clear that Trump treats Turkey as an equal. That's how it should be generally, but Trump tends to look down on international institutions and most countries. One can't avoid the feeling that his attitude towards Turkey has changed significantly compared to his first term in office. ... Now he clearly respects the power that Turkey has gained from the leeway afforded by its multifaceted foreign policy of recent years.”
Turkish president's precarious balancing act
Erdoğan is manoeuvring to stay on good terms with both Washington and Moscow, comments news.bg:
“Erdoğan is trying to curry favour with Trump and is prepared to make concessions on issues such as Russian oil imports or Palestine. At the same time, however, he knows that Moscow is dependent on Ankara. The Turkish president is thus turning his own vulnerability into an instrument of influence. The big question is how long he can keep up this balancing act, and whether his attempt to gain Trump's support and exploit pragmatic relations with Moscow at the same time won't put Ankara in a situation where it is forced to choose sides.”