Jeffry Flake, the U.S. ambassador in Ankara, lauded Türkiye’s efforts in global affairs and expressed a desire to strengthen relations between his country and Türkiye.
Speaking on Tuesday at an event in Istanbul on the occasion of the 247th anniversary of American independence, Flake said no other country would be able to maintain "control" over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, through the implementation of the Montreaux Convention. "And no other country would succeed in facilitating the Black Sea grain deal," he said.
Türkiye and the United States are close allies under NATO but their relations strained over a string of issues in the past years, Flake said they aimed to boost the cooperation. "We have great trade ties with Türkiye and our current trade volume is about $33 billion," he said. Flake also pointed out ties between the two nations, noting that some 1.8 million tourists from the U.S. are expected to visit Türkiye this year and they expected a rise in the number of people in education and exchange programs between the two countries. "We have an ongoing cooperation on security. Türkiye is the second strongest country in NATO and we want to make sure it remains strong and working with NATO," he said in remarks quoted by the Turkish media.
Answering reporters’ questions, Flake said that the U.S. was working with Türkiye to prevent Russia to circumvent the sanctions they imposed following the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
On membership of Sweden to NATO, a process supported by the U.S., Flake said it was "time" for Sweden to join the alliance. Sweden needs approval from Türkiye and Hungary for membership and Türkiye emphasized it should respond to activities of supporters of terrorist groups first to get the approval. On a question about rallies by the terrorist groups in Sweden after the Nordic country implemented a counterterrorism bill, Flake said "protests" complied with freedom of expression laws in place in Sweden, adding that Sweden, in the meantime, took measures against financiers of terrorist groups. He said that the U.S. was satisfied with the measures Sweden took.
Flake reiterated that the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye by the U.S. was not linked to Sweden’s NATO membership but some Congress members opposing the sale had "strong feelings" for the membership.
The envoy also commented on ties between Türkiye and his country, highlighting that it was "great" to see a peaceful atmosphere between the two countries as the cool relations saw a thaw following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye. Greece has offered support to its neighbor following the "disaster of the century." Flake pointed out that both countries elected new governments and it was a good time to sustain the positive atmosphere. "These trying times have also brought out the best in Türkiye. The spirit, resilience and strength of the Turkish people have been self-evident. These qualities resonate in America. I am in awe of how Americans, from coast to coast, stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Turkish people. This is the American spirit that we honor today, in celebration of our Independence Day. America has been blessed to have Türkiye as a partner for the last 100 years, and we are looking forward to many more," Flake said.
The event at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul was attended by more than 1,000 guests, including business leaders, diplomatic and military representatives, clergy, members of the press and respected names in academia and civil society.
For her part, U.S. Consul General Julie Eadeh said: "Each year in countries around the world, we come together to celebrate the birth of America and to remember the ideals that inspired its founding: freedom, equality and democracy. Tonight, as we reflect on the values that inspired American independence 247 years ago, and on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye, let us celebrate the strength of our two democracies."