Türkiye's Ambassador to the U.S. said Washington and Ankara need to adopt a "strategic approach" to address differences and enhance bilateral ties.
"In spite of progressive development of our economic relations and steps toward structured political dialogue within the context of strategic mechanism, there is still room for improvement in various contentious issues in our bilateral relations," Ambassador Önal said on the second day of the 39th American-Turkish Conference in Washington.
"In order to address our differences in an effective and result-oriented manner, we need to adopt a strategic rather than transactional approach," he added.
The two-day conference is the premier venue for U.S. and Turkish business leaders to engage in commercial diplomacy. It showcases U.S.-Turkish ties and collaboration across third-country markets in strategic sectors.
Increased cooperation between the two countries could also help expand security, stability and prosperity in various regions while also contributing to the fulfillment of sustainable development goals, Önal said.
"Agreeing to disagree and meeting at the lowest common denominator could not and should not be sufficient for strategic allies. Therefore, we need to devise ways and means of insulating our bilateral relations against conjectural disruptions and the indirect repercussions of developments that are foreign to the time-tested solidarity and friendship between our nations," he said.
"When faced with seemingly difficult hurdles and sometimes false choices, we should always keep in mind the fact our relations are not one-dimensional, but multi-dimensional. That is, our relations are not just about the present, but they have a past and they have a future and the course of action we take should be in keeping with this multi-dimensional nature of our relations," Önal stressed.
It takes a genuine effort to pay attention to each other’s sensitivities and existential security concerns, and an "open-hearted and sustainable" dialogue that includes increased interaction not only at the government level but also at the parliament, civil society and private sector level, the ambassador added.
Stressing that the Türkiye-U.S. relations are also influenced by history, geography, universal values, and national interests, Önal said as for history, as two "staunch" NATO allies, the bilateral solidarity stood the test of time, especially throughout the Cold War years.
"Yet, regional fallout first from the 9/11 attacks and then the so-called Arab Spring created challenges and divergences in our relationship."
"Türkiye is now surrounded by multiple flashpoints of conflict and instability, from Syria to Iraq and Libya, from the Caucasus to Ukraine and Gaza," Onal said, adding sustainable resolution of these crises necessitates alignment among the main stakeholders and principled positions prioritizing dialogue and diplomacy rather than relying solely on the dynamics on the ground to determine the trajectory of conflicts.
"Greater convergence and complementarity between our two countries would certainly bring significant added value in this regard," he added.
Turning to economic relations, Önal said against all odds, like the COVID-19 pandemic, Türkiye-U.S. trade and investment relations have proved resilient.
"Our trade relations not only weathered the storms but also expanded remarkably," he said, adding that bilateral trade volume rose from $19 billion in 2019 to $32 billion in 2023.
About the recent cooperation deal on liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade, Onal said: "This is yet another step towards reaching the target of $100 billion trade volume."
The Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) and U.S. energy company ExxonMobil signed a cooperation deal on LNG trade on Wednesday.
For his part, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake said Türkiye and the U.S. are "indispensable allies."
"Türkiye will always have an important role to play," he said, adding geography dictates that.
He stressed that the Türkiye-U.S. alliance has been far beyond geopolitics as both countries share values and mutual interests.
"We have proven that in the decades since World War II, many times when our shared principles have been challenged," he added.
