President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted the importance of growing Türkiye-U.S. relations and said the two countries will strengthen cooperation on counterterrorism efforts.
Speaking at a meeting with think-tanks at the Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York City on Monday, Erdoğan said his meetings with President Joe Biden overcame most of the challenges on way of Türkiye-U.S. ties.
"We will strengthen our cooperation on terrorism, which poses threat to both countries," he said.
Both countries would hold further talks to discuss relations, he added.
In reference to U.S. support for the terrorist YPG/PKK in northern Syria, Erdoğan stressed that there can be no partnership with terror groups.
"Every development in our region demonstrates how wrong the distinction between good terrorists and bad terrorists is. There is no negotiation with terrorists and no friendship or partnership can be established with them," he said.
Türkiye and the U.S., two major allies, maintained warm ties for decades, but shifting foreign policies and international developments at times affected the relations. The most outstanding issue between the two countries nowadays appears to be blatant U.S. support for terrorist groups threatening Türkiye, including the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), whose leader resides in Pennsylvania, and the PKK terrorist organization's Syrian wing, the YPG, which is supported by Washington under the pretext of a fight against Daesh. Türkiye was also disappointed at what it perceives as an attempt to link the sales of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye to the expected Turkish ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Erdoğan, who last met U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this month in New Delhi, where they both attended a G-20 summit, said they agreed upon strengthening Turkish-U.S. friendship and cooperation.
The president also said the future of Türkiye-EU ties depends on the stance of the bloc, noting that Ankara's desire to become an EU member-state is not enough.
"The stance of the European Union will be a determining factor in reaching our goal," he said.
In his remarks, Erdoğan also mentioned Türkiye's contributions to solving global and regional problems, promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, and addressing injustices within the international system.
Turning to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Erdoğan said Ankara is actively working towards ending the conflict with a just and lasting peace. He stressed Türkiye's commitment to diplomacy as a means to establish permanent peace in all conflict areas and to expand its network of international friendships.
Meanwhile, in another meeting, the 13th Concordia Summit, Erdoğan said Türkiye sees a window of opportunity for revitalization of ties with EU.
Erdoğan recently expressed his disappointment over a report assessing Türkiye’s bid, criticized by the country for being biased and filled with false accusations.
Under the leadership of President Erdoğan, Türkiye took significant steps to fulfill the criteria for membership of the 27-member bloc while Ankara heightened bilateral relations with EU states. Yet, continuing tolerance of the EU for terrorist groups threatening Türkiye led to a deterioration of ties. Differing views on other issues further eroded trust between the two sides although Türkiye and the EU remained major trade partners.
Regarding the return of Syrian refugees, Erdoğan said Türkiye encourages the safe, voluntary return of Syrian refugees and plans the return of 1 million with the completion of permanent housing.
Erdoğan also said Türkiye would have the opportunity to build new world with steps taken on Iraq Development Road project.
Speaking at the Concordia summit in New York, where he is taking part in UN General Assembly meetings, Erdoğan said: "Through taking such a step we will have the opportunity to build a new world."
"We have seen that the Gulf countries are very determined. We are determined, too," he said.
President Erdoğan added that he saw this determination in the U.S., in Germany, and in Japan, too.
Asked about Türkiye's role as a NATO member and its national interests as well as geopolitical tensions, Erdoğan said Türkiye is one of the oldest members of NATO and is also among the five key countries in the alliance.
"Türkiye is a country that strictly fulfills our duties within NATO," he said, adding that it will continue to do its part.
On his efforts to revive the landmark Black Sea grain deal, Erdoğan said that during his meeting with Russian President Putin earlier this month, the two discussed shipping one million tons of grain to African countries.
Erdoğan said he proposed increasing the amount of grain, telling Putin that a million tons is "not enough." The two agreed to continue the process with "telephone diplomacy," he added.
The president is in New York to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
