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Ankara takes dim view of Washington support for PKK/PYD

01 November 2021 [16:22] - TODAY.AZ

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as regrettable Washington’s support for the terrorist organizations PKK, PYD and YPG in Syria, Yeni Shafak newspaper has reported.

Erdogan made the remarks following his meeting with US President Joe Biden as a part of the G20 Leaders' Summit held in Rome on October 30-31, the report added.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also attended the closed-door meeting that lasted approximately an hour and 10 minutes.

“Undoubtedly, we expressed our sadness about these terrorist organizations in Syria, such as the PKK, PYD and YGP, especially regarding the support they received from the United States, and as a NATO member country, we expressed our sadness for this support. We also said that there are steps that will harm our solidarity on these issues,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish leader expressed hope for positive changes. He stressed that the Turkish and U.S. foreign and defence ministers should be in close contact over the matter in question.

Commenting on the purchase of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets from the U.S, Erdogan said that Turkey had paid $1.4 billion for these jets and the sides were trying to move the process in a positive direction.

“The modernization of F-16 jets, the ones we have, or the supply of new F-16 jets came to our agenda. IN this regard, our defence ministers are following the process. As I see the positive approach of Mr Biden on this issue, of course, another dimension of the event is known, be it the House of Representatives or the Senate. We said: now you have weight on both sides, we expect the necessary care from you at this point,” Erdogan underlined.

Later on, the Turkish president’s press service reported that the bilateral relations and regional issues were discussed at the meeting, which took place in a positive atmosphere. The two leaders made a joint statement on the further development of Turkey-U.S. relations and the establishment of a joint mechanism in this direction. The sides also discussed their mutual steps to boost bilateral trade.

It was stated that the sides will continue discussions on the F-16 and F-35 issues at the lower technical levels.

In the statement made by the White House, it was stated that Biden had underlined his desire to maintain constructive relations with Turkey, expand areas of cooperation and manage conflicts effectively.

It was reported that Biden had confirmed U.S-Turkish defence cooperation and Turkey's importance as a NATO member.

On the other hand, the U.S. expressed its concern over Turkey's possession of the Russian S-400 missile defence system, the report added.

Furthermore, Erdogan touched on his bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He said that France made an effort to organize a summit on Libya.

“In other words, there is an effort to hold a conference equivalent to the Berlin Conference...  Now, it may not be appropriate to hold a similar meeting here again. But our foreign ministers and special representatives should carry out a study and bring it before us as soon as possible. We will take the necessary step after that," he said.

As for France's arms sales to Greece, Erdogan said that Turkey had shared its concern over the issue during the conversations.

Speaking about the South Caucasus, Erdogan stated that a six-party structure with the participation of Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Armenia and Georgia would be appropriate for the establishment of regional peace.

 “We are constantly working on the issue that a six-party structure would be appropriate, especially in this region that we are focusing on. We wanted to bring peace to this region," he stressed.

Commenting on global climate change, Erdogan described Turkey as a pioneer in green transformation. He stressed that the world has to ensure a better environment for future generations.

“You know, as Turkey, we ratified the Paris Climate Agreement in the past weeks, and we are at a very good level in this regard as a country. With the goal of the green development revolution, I hope we will assume a leading role in this field all over the world,” Erdogan stressed.

Erdogan's previously announced Glasgow visit has been canceled due to the protocol dispute with the UK. Erdogan was to attend the UN Climate Change Conference held in Glasgow. The cancellation was caused by the British authorities, who did not agree with Turkey's request for the implementation of the highest level of security protocol. Therefore, Erdogan's meeting with Biden in Glasgow was also taken to Rome at the last minute.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/211597.html

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