Türkiye has strived to be a bridge between the East and West, literally and diplomatically. For U.S. envoy Jeff Flake, it remains firmly anchored in the West. The ambassador says Türkiye's partnership with the United States has never been stronger, even as the sides remain split on the Palestine-Israel conflict.
Flake, set to leave his post this autumn, said Türkiye's endorsement of NATO enlargement and a deal to sell U.S. F-16s signaled Ankara's tilt to the West this year and set the stage for lasting momentum in trade and investment. "The strategic partnership has never been stronger and we're in a good place," he said.
A former Republican senator nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, Flake's posting began in early 2022 and has been dominated by fallout from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which started six weeks after he arrived in Türkiye.
Washington has pressed Ankara to clamp down on any evasions of its sanctions on Moscow and also to endorse NATO enlargement, which was resolved in January with Türkiye's blessing of Sweden's membership after a 20-month delay. Flake said that despite Türkiye's strong economic, commercial and energy ties with Russia, the war in Ukraine highlighted its commitment to NATO and the West.
Türkiye "has been pitch perfect in its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty," Flake said, citing its halting Russian warships transiting to the Black Sea and its supplying drones to Kyiv.
He added that bipartisan sentiment toward Türkiye in the U.S. Congress had turned positive this year and that it would continue irrespective of the U.S. election outcome in November. "They're firmly anchored in the West," he reiterated.
The main strains on U.S.-Türkiye ties in recent years are the U.S. alliance with the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist group, and Türkiye's purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems, which prompted U.S. sanctions and its removal from a F-35 jet program.
The latest divergence is over the Palestine-Israel conflict. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly slammed the U.S. for its support of Israel.
The U.S. envoy said that while Erdoğan's planned visit with Biden at the White House last month was canceled due to scheduling problems, it also happened at a time when the situation in Gaza cast a "tough political backdrop."
"Obviously there's going to be differences with the Gaza situation. That's a tough one," he said.
But Flake added that Ankara's close ties with Hamas political leaders provided a valuable conduit during the conflict and in cease-fire talks, and that Washington sometimes asks it to deliver messages to them. A NATO leaders meeting in Washington next month presents an opportunity for a Biden-Erdoğan meeting given "there's some desire on both sides," he said.
In his 2 1/2 years in Türkiye, Flake sought to use his ties with U.S. Congress to overcome some members' concerns over Türkiye's commitment to the West.
The sale of F-16 jets and modernization kits to Türkiye, just after the endorsement of Sweden's NATO bid, shows growing trust between the sides, Flake said, and helped "unlock" cooperation in manufacturing and other direct investments.
Flake's comments come after Ankara said last week it could consider joining the BRICS group of nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and others.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met President Vladimir Putin in Russia this week and attended a BRICS meeting. Fidan was later cited by state media as saying that Turkish-Russian ties "are truly going fantastically well."
Putin said on Tuesday Erdoğan would attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in July and he hoped to meet him there.
Flake said that while he hoped Türkiye would not join BRICS, such a move would not change its alignment with the West.
"I think that they realize that Russia's economy is turning to a wartime economy. There's not much future there, particularly with the sanctions that have been imposed by the West," he said, adding Washington was working with Ankara to ease its energy reliance on Russia.