Time for Turkish-US rapprochement, says envoy

The transatlantic alliance is being tested with recent developments in the Middle East, North Africa, Black Sea basin, and Asia, and it is time for rapprochement between Turkey and U.S., according to Turkey’s ambassador to Washington [Hasan Murat Mercan].

“…transitioning transatlantic security priorities to an era of great power competition inevitably will necessitate exploring venues of gradual rapprochement between Turkey and the United States,” said Mercan.

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“If left unchecked, seemingly stand-alone crises and conflicts across ‘Greater Eurasia’ would trigger a chain reaction politically, socially, economically, and security-wise with global repercussions,” he added.

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Mercan said Ankara and Washington need “optimal” partnership engagements “if we are to continue operating together in non-permissive and semi-permissive environments.”

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Noting that Turkey enjoys a military scale that is unique in the region and ranks high within NATO, the ambassador said Turkey will continue to offer the best practice for merging democracy with globalization, urbanization, and modernization in Greater Eurasia.