P.A. Turkey

FIRST TAKE:  Biden & Erdogan chat on the phone

Erdogan finally got some respect from Erdogan when two leaders chatted on the phone. While the agenda is well-known, the American viewpoint of the meeting is yet to hit the presses. At this point, only Turkish sources report the summary of the proceedings, which runs as follows:

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday said the United States has a “historic responsibility” to secure a lasting cease-fire in the Gaza conflict as soon as possible.

 

Erdoğan’s remarks came during a phone call with his American counterpart Joe Biden, to whom he said that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza should be stopped and that Israel’s prolonged attacks may have negative global consequences.

Erdoğan said a cease-fire could be achieved quickly if the U.S. withdrew its “unconditional support” for Israel, the Communications Directorate said in a statement.

 

The two leaders also discussed Sweden’s NATO membership bid, Türkiye’s request to buy F16 fighter jets, and bilateral relations, the statement noted.

 

PA Turkey is curious whether Biden offered firm promises of finalizing the $20 bn F-16 sale in return for the ratification of Swedish accession, or used the stick of sanctions to persuade Erdogan.

 

Recently, Turkish entities have been sanctioned for violating restrictions on trade to Russia and on suspicion of funding HAMAS by USA and U.K.

 

Updates to follow.

 

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