The last time US Vice President Joe Biden flew to Turkey, in January, he had a stern message for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: His model of democracy was setting a bad example by intimidating media and threatening academics.
But his tone was markedly different when he arrived in Ankara on Wednesday, weeks after a failed coup in Turkey that has strained relations between the two countries, and he appeared to be in diplomatic damage-limitation mode, Reuters reported.
Turkish officials have been incensed by the concerns expressed by Washington and European capitals about Ankara’s subsequent crackdown on suspected plotters, but what they perceive as indifference to the coup attempt itself.
A weakening of the US-Turkish alliance is a concern for the United States, which is counting on support from Turkey, which has NATO’s second-biggest military, in the battle against the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group.
American worries may have been compounded by Erdogan restoring ties with Russia and even discussing military cooperation with President Vladimir Putin.
Meeting with Erdogan and Turkey’s prime minister in Ankara on Wednesday, Biden delivered a message of alliance and conciliation.
“Let me say it for one last time: The American people stand with you ... Barack Obama was one of the first people you called. But I do apologize. I wish I could have been here earlier,” Biden said.
He said US officials would cooperate in investigating evidence against Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric Erdogan has blamed for masterminding the coup bid with his followers.
Erdogan has demanded that Washington hand over Gulen who has denied any involvement in the coup, but US authorities have said Turkey must first provide evidence of his wrongdoing.
Hours before Biden arrived, in a timely illustration of the role Turkey plays in the fight against IS, Turkish forces backed by US-led coalition jets launched a major push across the border into northern Syria to drive the militant group out of the frontier town of Jarablus.
Former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO Admiral James Stavridis said the key to US ties with Turkey was balancing realist and idealist tensions, between the need for a strong, regional NATO ally and drawing attention to human rights.
Since the attempted coup, in which more than 240 people were killed, Turkish authorities have dismissed or suspended tens of thousands of military personnel, civil servants and judges suspected of ties to Gulen’s network. Around 40,000 people have been formally arrested for links to the coup.
Turkey’s ties with the European Union have also been strained by the reaction to the government crackdown. EU officials, like Washington, have expressed concerns about the scale of the purge and urged Ankara to uphold the rule of law.
The rift has increased tensions over an EU deal with Turkey to help tackle Europe’s migrant crisis—the other powerful piece of leverage Erdogan holds with the West.
Ankara has warned that Turkey could walk away from its promise to stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe, if the European Union fails to grant Turks visa-free travel in October.
