Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 11
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
Turkey-Russia rapprochement as well as Ankara's intention to buy modern S-400 Triumph air defense systems from Russia cause concerns in the United States, Gungor Gokdag, expert and columnist for the Turkish newspaper ZedLife, told Trend.
There have been serious problems in US-Turkey relations in recent years, according to him.
“Issuance of a warrant in the US to arrest the Turkish president’s bodyguards, refusal to extradite Fethullah Gulen, provision of YPG and PYD with arms, and, certainly, the expected joint military operations of Turkey, Russia and Iran were the main problems causing friction between Washington and Ankara,” the expert said.
The Syrian policy of the US is a threat to Turkey's national security, he added.
Gokdag noted that for the first time in the history of US-Turkey relations, such a crisis rose to the level of diplomatic missions.
The expert does not exclude that, although the Turkish authorities remain calm, in this situation, Ankara will not make the first step to resolve the crisis.
“The problem is that the US, being Turkey’s main ally, has not fulfilled any of the requirements of Ankara so far,” he said, adding it is possible to say that the US has lost Turkey’s trust.
Earlier, the US suspended issuance of visas to Turkish citizens due to the arrest of an employee of the US Consulate General in Istanbul.
Turkish authorities, commenting on the arrest of the Consulate General’s employee, noted that he had links with the movement of Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of being involved in the 2016 military coup attempt in Turkey.
Turkey also suspended the issuance of visas to US citizens.