The decision to establish a mechanism to deal with the ongoing disputes and disagreements between Turkey and the U.S. is a constructive development and a significant opportunity to improve bilateral relations. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his U.S. counterpart President Joe Biden decided on the mechanism in their Rome meeting during the recent G-20 meetings.

Three working groups and technical teams will be established as part of the process. The working groups will try to reduce the gap between the contradictory positions of the two countries. Technical teams will work on the details of the issues of disagreement. What's more important is the decision to engage diplomatically to reduce tensions and publicly give constructive messages on controversial matters. Maintaining the existing status quo does not serve the interests of both parties.

Rifts between the two

Since 2016, Turkish-U.S. relations have been in a downward spiral. There are a number of issues and problems that have accumulated over time. Both sides’ difference of opinion concerning Syria and the other post-Arab Spring countries was one of the earlier rifts between the two countries. The other major crises can be listed as follows: