News & Comment
Meeting of Erdogan and Obama the Lame Duck
at the G20 Summit

News

President Recep Tayyip, who went to Hangzhou to participate at the Summit of heads of the state and governments of G20, met with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Reminding of the telephone conversation with U.S. President Obama after the July 15 coup attempt by the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), President Erdogan thanked President Obama for his support against the coup attempt. Pointing out that the long-standing strategic partnership between Turkey and the USA turned into a model partnership under Obama, President Erdogan stated that this model partnership will be maintained, and that the two countries have a special relationship which is getting stronger as time goes by.

http://www.dha.com.tr/darbe-girisimi-sonrasi-yuz-yuze-ilk-gorusme_1318863.html

Comment

President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Barack Obama had a meeting regarding the Turkish-American relations on the G20 Summit in China. A couple of meanings attributed to the meeting by some circles are not reflecting the truth. Likewise, interpreting Erdogan's body language and attributing him more warmth towards Putin, and more distance towards lame duck Obama, and thus concluding foreign policy implications is not accurate too.

After all, Turkey is a member country of NATO. America has a direct influence on Turkey since World War II. This influence reveals itself mostly in the foreign politics. There are reams of examples especially during the AKP ruling period. As Turkey was not able to determine a policy in foreign politics counter to America, it had to eat its words and had to make U-turns.

There is an emphasis on two striking issues in the Erdogan-Obama meeting. The first one is Syria. The other one is the Fethullah Gulen file.

The Syria issue: The Assad regime's massacres, including the use of chemical weapons; the lies about Syria through the American propaganda machine, have carried the issue into another dimension. From the very beginning, America has reduced the issue "to a terror problem rather than an Assad regime problem". Iran, Russia, the Coalition Forces and finally Turkey too have entered Syria under the name of "fighting ISIS". This is exactly what America has wanted. It is not a step Turkey made counter to America.

Indeed, when the operations started under the shadow of America's planes, Foreign Affairs Minister Çavuşoğlu said "We planned this together with the USA from the beginning", while America made statements like "We will support Turkey's operations in Jarablus", and "we will provide air support for the operations".

As to the battle with the PYD: An analysis in the New York Times (Aug 28, 2016) expressed that the fighting parties in Syria's latest conflict zone Jarablus were in fact two American-backed Syrian forces fighting against each other, aided by the U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon) and the USA's secret service CIA.

Consequently, along with Russia, Iran and organisations like the PYD, Turkey is also fighting a proxy war in the name of America, within the frame determined by America.
As to the Fethullah Gulen issue: Immediately after the July 15 coup attempt some ministers of the AKP government made comments like "America is behind the coup".

Comments in the total opposite were made too. Moreover, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated, "We are against the anti-American sentiments in Turkey".

During the Erdogan-Obama meeting, Erdogan thanked Obama for his support against the coup attempt. Turkey and America made contradicting statements regarding Fethullah Gulen's extradition several times. Turkey demanded Gulen's extradition by sending tens of folders and delegations.

Erdogan makes statements like, "We are handing over members of terrorist organisations when America demands it. Why is America not doing the same when we ask?" But America is pointing at the legal procedure to find a balance.

Turkey is in the dilemma of not getting Gulen, of whom it claims to have given the order for the July 15 coup attempt personally and of being the "head of terror", but somehow however, receives America's support against the coup. Just like the battle between the CIA and the Pentagon in Syria; the AKP and the Gulen sect are fighting each other. And lame duck Obama, who is about to step down from office, is going to transfer the matter to the next president.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
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