Turkish daily Today’s Zaman (online, 23.11.14), with the above title, reported that the US Vice President Joe Biden has stressed that the US needs Turkey and it seems that Turkey believes it needs the US, despite the major differences on ways and means of dealing with the threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.
Arriving in Istanbul on Friday evening, Biden had a working dinner with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and on Saturday he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Beylerbeyi Palace for a lengthy conversation, which lasted close to four hours, even though it was planned to last 45 minutes.
Biden and Erdogan held a joint press conference, but after making statements the leaders left without taking any questions from journalists.
During the press conference in Istanbul, Biden said: “We need Turkey. And I think Turkey believes that they need us, as well. We are close. We are going to continue to discuss how to approach each of these problems in the region.”
He also strongly emphasized that the US-Turkish partnership is “as strong as it ever has been”, adding: “Today we’re working closely together once again to meet the very pressing challenges of this moment and to further strengthen the strategic partnership between Turkey and America”.
The US is pushing Turkey to allow expanded access to the coalition forces to Incirlik Air Base in Adana province, which is in close proximity to ISIL targets inside both Syria and Iraq.
A senior US administration official told journalists en route to Turkey on Friday that the US has an “ISIL first, Iraq first strategy,” Today’s Zaman has learned. Turkey insists on removing the Assad regime from power as a priority and pushes for the establishment of an internationally accepted safe zone inside Syria.
“We agree with the Turks that there needs to be a political transition away from Assad as part of the endgame here. So we don’t disagree with them on that. But at the moment our highest priority in Iraq and Syria is degrading and eventually defeating ISIL. We’ve stated that explicitly. We have an ISIL-first, Iraq-first strategy. But not an ISIL-only, Iraq-only strategy,” the senior administration official said.
On Cyprus, Biden recalled that he travelled to the ethnically divided island in May and met with both Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders, as the highest-ranking American in five decades to visit the island.
“Today, the potential exists — if the political will is there — to reach a solution that benefits everyone on the island and in the region. Right now, that requires a focus on de-escalating tensions and returning to the negotiating table in Cyprus,” he said.
Biden also said that given the significant energy potential in the eastern Mediterranean, the rewards to both communities on Cyprus of finding a cooperative path forward have never been greater.
The US Vice President also delivered a speech on European energy security at a conference held in Istanbul by the US-based think tank The Atlantic Council called “Energy and Economic Summit.”
During that speech Biden said he visited Cyprus because he wanted to encourage the Cypriots to develop their energy resources in cooperation with all of their neighbours and to make clear that everyone benefits if the entire eastern Mediterranean can work together to become a hub for natural gas markets.
The energy potential in the eastern Mediterranean holds the promise of enhancing stability and prosperity by bringing together Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon. “It also has the potential to bring new supplies into Europe, to increase its energy security by diversifying energy resources,” he said.
On the same issue, Ankara Anatolia news agency (23.11.14) reported that Biden and his wife also visited the principal Greek Orthodox cathedral and the historic Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul.
Meanwhile, A.A. reports that during his visit, Biden met also withthe Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu.