President Erdogan to 'operate independently' in foreign policy: Former US official

WASHINGTON

James Jeffrey, former US special envoy to the global coalition against Daesh/ISIS said he expects President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pursue an independent foreign policy in the future, citing Türkiye's size and capabilities as the basis for the "rational" decision.

Speaking at a panel by Atlantic Council to discuss Turkish-American relations and Turkish foreign policy in the post-election period, Jeffrey, who is also a former envoy to Ankara, said there is a chance to improve relations between the US and Türkiye, which he said are not "at a low point."

Jeffrey said relations between US President Joe Biden and Erdogan were at a relatively low point over the last year, adding that Biden "went a long way towards fixing that with his call on Monday" to congratulate Erdogan on his election victory.

He said other than the US and Britain, no NATO country has done more to make Russia's campaign in Ukraine difficult than Türkiye.

Referring to claims that Türkiye is nearing approval of Sweden's NATO membership, Jeffrey said he does not have any idea what Erdogan will do this week. He dismissed the rumors as mere allegations without any substantial basis.

Jeffrey noted that throughout Erdogan's tenure, he fostered strong ties with the West, particularly from 2009 - 2010. He highlighted that Erdogan displayed a readiness to reach a deal on Cyprus and implemented reforms to facilitate EU accession. But the Greek rejection of the Annan Plan on Cyprus and opposition from certain EU member states hindered Türkiye's membership prospects.

Expressing that Erdogan's efforts have not been rewarded, Jeffrey said: "So he's going to operate independently and this is a rational decision given not only their size and capabilities, it's also reasonable from the standpoint of their experiences".

Turning to tensions between Greece and Türkiye, Jeffrey said an obsession with Türkiye is "one of the main abiding parts of Greek foreign policy.

"Whereas whatever the animosities and irritations might be, Turks aren't obsessed with Greece ... they just have too many bigger problems," said the former ambassador.

Jeffrey also emphasized the importance for the US administration to carefully consider relations with the YPG/PKK terror organization in Syria.