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Washington hopes to reengage with Erdoğan after Turkey’s Sunday vote – analysis

The U.S. administration hopes a domestic calm down in Turkey that will follow the local polls on Sunday will allow resolving bilateral issues that have been stalled for months, the Washington Post reported .

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The U.S. administration hopes a domestic calm down in Turkey that will follow the local polls on Sunday will allow resolving bilateral issues that have been stalled for months, the Washington Post reported .

Following the elections, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will travel to Washington to meet the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss a crowded list of issues between the NATO allies, including conflicting interests in Syria, Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems, and most recently, Ankara’s support to Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan once again used a anti-Western rhetoric during his election campaign, while repeatedly retiring that Turkey would not cancel the deal with Moscow over the purchase of S-400 systems, which according to some experts can open the way for a Turkxit from the West.

We’re trying to get to the end of the elections, because one could imagine . . . a whole lot of things to talk about,” the Washington Post quoted one U.S. senior administration official as saying.

Turkey remains a major factor in the indecision in the United States over the U.S. President Donald Trump’s wish to withdraw American troops in Syria, the Washington Post said.

The Turkish president on Saturday reaffirmed Ankara’s plans to launch a military offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, who formed the backbone of the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State (ISIS). The two NATO allies have also been negotiating Turkey’s plans to establish a safe zone in Syria along the Turkish border, while projects of a Turkish attack pushes Kurds to seek the support of Damascus.

Despite the optimism of some, other U.S. officials fear the U.S.-Turkey relationship might get worse after Sunday’s elections, especially in case Turkey takes unilateral action in Syria.

Source: Ahval

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