As allies, Türkiye and the United States need a broader geopolitical, strategic conversation, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said Monday as he addressed a U.S.-Türkiye business forum during an official visit to Washington.
After thanking members of the U.S. business community and private sector for attending the forum and raising more than $110 million to help Türkiye’s southeast ravaged by the deadly Feb. 6 earthquakes, Kalın said, “The work we will be doing for the next couple of years is huge,” in reference to the ongoing reconstruction efforts.
Further lamenting “unfair and biased scrutiny” Türkiye has been subjected to regarding “the meaning and strength of our alliances,” as well as the war in Ukraine and other regional issues, Kalın said, “Whatever differences we may have, we can address them.”
Kalın contended: “We can certainly have certain disagreements on certain issues. Even the closest allies, like the U.K. and the United States or any other partner, there are times when you have differences but I think those differences can certainly be overcome.”
"The Türkiye-U.S. relationship of course is based on mutual respect, mutual interests and on principles of good governance, principles of understanding," he added.
Stressing the importance of Türkiye as a "key player," Kalın recalled the energy crisis in Europe following the Russian war in Ukraine.
He said the capacity of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which supplies Azerbaijani gas to Turkish markets and will eventually bring gas to Europe, can be increased.
TANAP is the central part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which connects the giant Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe through the South Caucasus Pipeline and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
A second alternative, he said, is Eastern Mediterranean energy resources, namely the East Med project, to carry natural gas to Europe.
"In both alternatives, Türkiye is a key player," he underscored.
However, Kalın said that some members of the U.S. Congress have a "very one-sided reading of the geopolitical realities on the ground."
"We tried to reach out to them, explain to them, (saying) ‘look at the wider picture here,’" he said.
"We would like to see more Congresspeople coming and visiting Türkiye, having more engagements with the Turkish people, the business community," he continued.
Asked about Finland and Sweden's NATO bids, Kalın said when the two countries applied to NATO, Türkiye looked at its "own security checklist."
"In terms of Türkiye's national security interests, we have some issues in those countries because the PKK, various terror organizations as well as the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which is responsible for the July 15 (2016) coup attempt (in Türkiye) have taken deep roots, especially in Sweden," he said.
Recalling his past conversations with his Swedish counterparts a year ago, during which he raised Türkiye's security concerns, Kalın said, "They first didn't understand the depth of their (the terrorist organizations') presence in their own country."
"I think we are in a much better place now than we were a year ago," he said, adding that Sweden says they "need some time to put the necessary legal framework in place to prosecute these people," citing Sweden's new anti-terror bill which will go into force on June 1.
"So this is a timeline that they have, not us. We didn't impose this timeline," Kalın said.
Noting that according to current Swedish law, it is not a crime to be a member of the PKK terrorist organization in the country, Kalın said: "They tell us that they cannot really do much until this new federal law becomes effective."
"Now we are being criticized severely again by some of our friends here, especially in Washington, and I know this is the sentiment among some Congress members as well," he said.
"But the fact is that we have these criteria. Once they meet these criteria, the process will move forward."
He also recalled North Macedonia's NATO membership process, which was on hold for more than 10 years due to a name dispute with its southern neighbor Greece.
On the process regarding the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, Kalın said linking Finland and Sweden's NATO bids with F-16 sales is "completely illogical, unacceptable and counterproductive."
"It sends a very wrong message, and it doesn't help the process," he added.
During his stay, Kalın will also be meeting his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan on Tuesday to discuss bilateral issues, according to Sullivan.
Addressing reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, Sullivan said he and Kalın will "have the chance to discuss" the prospective NATO memberships of Finland and Sweden, "as well as about 127 and other issues that are relevant to the U.S.-Türkiye relationship."
Sullivan did not specify where the meeting would take place other than to say it would happen in the nation's capital.
In a phone call last December, Kalın and Sullivan previously agreed to continue dialogue and consultations and focus on strategic and common interests.
The last high-level talk between the two countries was in late February when Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ankara to meet with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Among a variety of issues that have strained bilateral ties in recent years are continued U.S. support to the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian affiliate the YPG, the presence of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in the U.S, as well as a hamstrung deal of F-16 fighter jets and Türkiye’s longstanding dispute with neighboring Greece.
