(Bloomberg) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is traveling to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly amid heightened tensions with Washington over Syria and Russia.
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Erdogan is expected to arrive in New York on Sunday, just a day after Turkey rejected US accusations of using child soldiers in the ranks of Turkish-backed rebels in Syria, and as Washington prepares to impose sanctions on five Turkish companies and a Turkish individual for According to Reuters, Russia is helping to circumvent the sanctions.
Turkey is coming under increasing pressure from the EU and the US to join their campaign to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. While Turkey is implementing binding United Nations sanctions, it is refusing to join others on grounds that could complicate its self-declared mediation efforts between Kiev and Moscow.
The tensions with the US come as Turkey seeks to mend strained ties with Washington in hopes of securing US President Joe Biden’s support to purchase F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits for its existing fleet and attract of foreign investment in Turkey’s embattled economy.
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At the G-20 summit in New Delhi last week, Erdogan expressed disappointment over US demands that Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization be a condition for agreeing to the sale of F -16 fighter jets to Ankara, a point raised by Biden. during a side meeting with the Turkish leader.
Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, who is accompanying Erdogan to New York City for the UN meetings, will address US investors on Tuesday.
While realizing that trying to revive Turkey’s stalled membership talks with the EU is crucial to attracting investment into the country, Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey could “break up” in the wake of a non-binding report published by the bloc last week criticizing Turkey’s accession negotiations. democratic shortcomings.
Erdogan is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New York to further the nascent thaw in both Mediterranean neighbors as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a geopolitical shift in the region by disrupting supply chains and commodity markets. disrupt.
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