Brief version of the news
- The Turkish President plans to visit the United States in May 2024, which may indicate a certain “thaw” in relations between the countries.
- However, on the other hand, Ankara may feel pressure from the United States, as evidenced by the decrease in trade turnover with Russia and the defeat of Erdogan’s party in the elections, which changes its attitude towards American sanctions.
- Erdogan has many requests for the United States, but members of the Republican Party are categorical about him.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit the United States in early May. It has several goals. One of them is his uncertainty about his own political future.
Public figure, member of the US Republican Party Boris Pincus told 24 Channel that the United States has many questions for Erdogan. Republicans, in particular, are strongly against him.
Why Erdogan is coming to the USA
Turkish President Recep Erdogan plans to come to the United States of America on May 9 for the first time since 2019. Many argue that there is now a “thaw” in relations between Turkey and the United States.
Interestingly, according to recent data, in the first quarter of this year, trade turnover and sales from Turkey to Russia fell by 34%. This could just be pressure on Ankara from the United States. However, if earlier Erdogan did not pay attention to sanctions, now the situation has changed.
There are two reasons: the most important was his defeat in the domestic elections. This will continue. His stay in power is highly questionable. He will cling to everything. Until now, he didn’t give a damn about American sanctions: to this day, two large Russian banks operate in Turkey, to this day Erdogan trades energy resources with Russia, noted Boris Pincus.
All of these, of course, are important factors primarily for Russia. Moreover, Vladimir Putin continues to invest in Turkey's energy system, construction of a nuclear reactor continues.
Construction of a nuclear power plant in Turkey
In 2010, Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan signed an agreement on the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. Russian contractors were committed to design, build, maintain, operate and decommission the station. On April 27, 2023, Putin and Erdogan inaugurated the first nuclear reactor in Turkey, which was built by Rosatom. Both leaders then attended the ceremony via video link. In March of this year, Erdogan announced that all reactors of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will be commissioned before 2028.
“In other words, Erdogan will not be able to sit on both chairs. it's time to leave. I don't think he is a friend of Ukraine, he does more harm. His coming to America is a sign of the electorate, which advocates pro-Western policies and a complete severance of ties with Russia. But this will not save him. Republicans are very categorical in attitude towards Erdogan, they are aggressively opposed to him.” – Pincus noted.
The leader of Turkey had and still has many requests to the United States. In particular, he needs spare parts for F-35 aircraft and new Patriot systems. At the same time, Erdogan received S-300 air defense systems from Russia, although Congress was categorically against this. Therefore, in fact, there are many nuances that stand in the way of rapprochement between Ankara and Washington.
Elections in Turkey: what is known
- 31 March local elections were held in Turkey. The citizens of Turkey elected mayors and members of municipal councils for the next five years.
- Then the main opposition political force in Turkey won a landslide victory. The opposition retained control of major cities, including the capital Ankara and Istanbul, where Ekrem Imamoglu won a second term as mayor. Erdogan's party suffered a crushing defeat.
- Analysts noted that Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, which has ruled Turkey for more than twenty years, received worse than predicted results. The reasons for these disappointing results were soaring inflation, disgruntled Islamic voters, and the attractiveness of Imamoglu.
