The question of sanctions could be a good way for Turkey and the U.S. to start repairing fractured relations amid the new dynamic
The phrase "new energy" was used by the U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, who visited the capital Ankara on April 4, 2022. During Nuland's visit, the strategic mechanism that Turkey and the United States had earlier established became operational.
Turkish and U.S. officials have thus redoubled their efforts to explore opportunities for cooperation and exchange views on a range of key issues, from trade to Syria and Ukraine. The first concrete sign came after Nuland’s visit when the State Department’s March 17 letter to U.S. Congress – which responded to a Feb. 4 letter against the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey – was reported in the media.
The department’s response, which described Turkey’s support for Ukraine as "an important deterrent to malign influence in the region," stressed that the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara was in line with U.S. national security interests and long-term cooperation under the NATO umbrella.
In this sense, the letter represented a continuation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s March 10 phone call with his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden. During that conversation, the Turkish leader brought up his country’s interest in purchasing F-16 fighter jets and demanded that the U.S. lift sanctions in the area of defense. Biden, in turn, said that he would make an effort to ensure that the U.S. Congress would respond positively to that request.
The joint statement of April 4, 2022, called to activate the strategic mechanism and for a meeting to be held between the Turkish and U.S. foreign ministers at the end of the year.
This "new energy" in bilateral relations compartmentalizes certain disagreements, such as the PKK/YPG in Syria and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), whilst focusing on the defense industry (e.g., F-16s), a new balance in the Eastern Mediterranean and increasing trade. The U.S.' retraction of support for the EastMed pipeline project can also be included in this "new energy."
Factors in the new era
The following factors contribute to a positive atmosphere in Turkey-U.S. relations: