Biden advisor says new US administration is not seeking to 'push Turkey into corner'

Duvar English

Michael Carpenter, a foreign policy advisor to Joe Biden, has said that Turkey is dealing with several domestic issues and the new U.S. administration is not aiming to “push Turkey into a corner” through imposition of sanctions which would cause the Turkish government to “further rely on aggressive tactics and bellicose rhetoric.”

“We don't want to be pushing Turkey into a corner. We don't want to be slapping sanctions on Turkey and seeking to create some sort of economic collapse or consequences that cause the regime to further rely on aggressive tactics and bellicose rhetoric,” said Carpenter, managing director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.

He made the remarks on Nov. 9, speaking by video link at a diplomatic conference organized in Greece.

He said that the new administration could seek closer cooperation with the EU in its policy concerning Turkey and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

If Turkey wants to “get back into the goods graces of NATO allies,” both sides should seek “a set of pathways” that will result in Ankara setting aside the Russian S-400 defense system, the Biden advisor said.

Ankara has been at odds with its NATO ally Washington over issues including policy differences in Syria and its purchase of Russian missile defences. As a result, the United States removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet programme, saying the Russian systems put the jets in jeopardy.

“I do think and I am hopeful that when a President Erdoğan sees a united front, that suggests that there is room for cooperation, but also that there are very negative consequences to pursuing a more aggressive policy, then he will have a rethink,” said Carpenter.

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