The most important recent meeting in terms of Turkish foreign policy was definitely the one held between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden.
The two leaders met for a 15-minute meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit on the island of Bali in Indonesia and discussed a range of issues. The most important topics that arose in the talk were NATO’s Nordic enlargement, the grain corridor and Sunday’s attack on Istanbul’s popular pedestrian Istiklal Street.
It was important that the leaders came face to face during the summit, which took place shortly after the terrorist attack in Istanbul, and it can be interpreted as a strong sign of Biden's support for its ally amid accusations that Washington backs the terror groups behind the attack. I think that Biden wanted to highlight the importance the U.S. administration sees in Türkiye as an ally by showing solidarity. Biden offered his deep condolences to Erdoğan and the Turkish people, expressing his support.
Biden also thanked President Erdoğan for his support in reopening the grain corridor that allowed the shipment of vital Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea. Thanks to Erdoğan’s initiative, a global food crisis was averted as the corridor opened again. Currently, the parties agreed to extend the Black Sea grain initiative by 120 days, with Erdoğan saying Ankara is determined to transfer Russian grain to less developed countries.
Another hot topic in the meeting was Washington's potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. Biden highlighted that his government would continue to support Ankara’s purchase of F-16 jets, pointing out that Türkiye plays a crucial role in Sweden’s NATO accession, making clear that Ankara should play its cards carefully in order to create a win-win situation. Biden’s remarks also show the importance of Türkiye as a NATO member. Some circles were intensely discussing the country's NATO membership until recently and claiming that it would be better for Türkiye to step out of the trans-Atlantic alliance, which I think is a terrible and unwise suggestion. NATO membership provides Türkiye security and the power to negotiate.
Türkiye is an essential ally within the bloc as a country with relations with both the West and Russia. A Türkiye that is not a NATO member would definitely have a weaker negotiation area.
But now Erdoğan’s government is implementing multipolar diplomacy, which shows its strength in the Ukraine conflict. Türkiye is the only facilitator and negotiator between Ukraine and Russia and keeps its position thanks to the good relations it has developed with Moscow while being a part of NATO and maintaining a strong dialogue with the West at the same time.
