Experts have said with the new U.S. President Donald Trump's administration taking office a clean slate can be expected for Turkish-U.S. relations, since Ankara is a key ally for Washington that was neglected during the Obama administration.
A panel regarding Turkish-American relations in the new Trump era was organized by a Washington-based think tank Global Policy Institute in Washington D.C.
Speaking at the conference, Mark Kimmitt, former assistant for the secretary of state for political-military affairs under George W. Bush's term, drew attention to the "institutionalized" and long-term relations between Turkey and the U.S. based on common interests.
"We have very important interests in Ankara and they should be improved. Turkey is at crossroads of all crises in the region; from Afghanistan to Libya and from Ukraine to Syria. Without Turkey, the solution for these crises is not possible."
Trump's adviser on foreign policy Walid Phares said he is expecting a "renaissance" in Turkey-U.S. relations, which is deep-rooted and has long a history.
"The current administration is quite new and it will create more control over many things soon. I am hopeful that there will be a renaissance in Turkey-U.S. relations in many aspects."
Burak Küntay, an academic at Bahçeşehir University, underscored that the relations between two countries have been strained due to two reasons: the Obama administration's reckless attitude toward the extradition of Fetullah Gülen, the mastermind of failed July 15 coup attempt, and its support to the PKK terrorist organization's Syrian offshoot the Democratic Union Party (PYD).
"The two countries are NATO allies and strategic partners; also have military, political and economic cooperation. However, we are sadly witnessing that the U.S. is cooperating with the PYD, which is the offshoot group of the PKK. Cooperating with a Marxist organization against radical terrorist organizations is like adding fuel to flames. This is a risky move and will explode in the U.S.'s face."
