The Uneasy Relationship Test – Biden Meets Erdogan

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US President Joe Biden will meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in connection with the ongoing G20 summit in Rome on Sunday.

The intention was for the two to hold bilateral deliberations during next week’s climate meeting in Glasgow, UK, but according to a senior representative of the Biden administration, the meeting between the leaders of the two NATO countries will take place on Sunday. morning.

On the agenda is the situation in Syria and Libya, as well as the various defense systems that Turkey is buying from Russia and the United States.

Russian air defense system

No frictionless relationship exists between Erdogan and Biden, and the last time the two leaders met was during the NATO summit in Brussels this summer.

The reasons for this shaky relationship are due, among other things, to the Turkish decision in 2019 to purchase the Russian S-400 air defense system. As a result, at the end of last year, the United States imposed sanctions on the Turkish military procurement authority SSB.

As recently as September this year, Erdogan said on US television that he did not rule out continuing arms deals with Russia, despite US threats of further sanctions.

Sweden’s ambassador

During the meeting between the two leaders, the diplomatic crisis – in which Sweden is involved – is also expected to be addressed.

It has to do with Erdogan’s declaration last week that ten foreign ambassadors in Ankara – including the United States and Sweden – are persona non grata in the country.

The reason for the Turkish anger was the demand of the appointed ambassadors to release the businessman and activist Osman Kavala.

But since then, a kind of reversal has occurred and the tone toward the ambassadors hasn’t been high.

– I’m frankly not sure if this meeting can be held if (Erdogan) carries out the deportation, says the official in Bident.