Although the US is defined as an ‘ally’ by some parties in Turkey, when one looks at recent history, it is clear that Turkey and the US cannot be friends. By Bekir Sitki Sirin in First Post on April 7, 2023.
Accused of being “the power behind the 15 July (2016) coup attempt”, the United States is invariably seen as a hostile nation by most people in Turkey. The two nations have a history of discord, hostility and animosity, more so in recent years. Although the US is defined as an ‘ally’ by some parties in Turkey, when we look at recent history, it is clear that Turkey and the US cannot be friends.
Over the years, terrorism and security issues have marred the relationship of two NATO ‘allies’. Let’s look at some of the issues that have impacted the US-Turkey ties.
Terrorist organisation
The US supports the Kurdistan Workers’ Party(PKK) logistically and financially. Turkey regards PKK as a terrorist outfit. It also sees Washington supporting terrorist organisations in Syria, one of the countries affected by the Arab Spring.
In Syria, which is among the neighboring countries of Turkey, the internal turmoil that started in 2011 gradually became inextricable. Issues threatening Turkey’s security emerged in Syria. Terrorist outfits DAESH and YPG/PYD were deployed in Syria, which has literally turned it into a war zone, posing a great threat to Turkey.
While Turkey was fighting against these terrorist organisations, the so-called ally of Ankara, the US, followed a pro-YPG/PYD policy. Turkey described the YPG/PYD as the Syrian branch of the terrorist organisation PKK and called on the United States to choose its side many times. But the United States has repeatedly stated that it sees the PYD as an ally. Thousands of trucks of weapons and financial support given by the US to PKK/YPG continued during the Trump administration as well as the Obama presidency. This situation created a serious discomfort in Turkey.
The 2016 coup attempt
The crisis with the US, which has been shedding blood in the Middle East for years with its bases in Turkey, has increased in recent years. In this context, the US reportedly supported the treacherous coup attempt on 15 July 2016. After the attempt, which the citizens prevented by going to the squares, the anger of the people of Turkey towards the US increased even more. The Minister of Labor and Social Security of the time, Süleyman Soylu, who made a statement on 17 July 2016, also said that Washington was behind the traitors of Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation (FETO).
Extradition of FETO members including Gülen
One of the main reasons for the crisis between Turkey and the US, after the coup attempt in 2016, was the issue of the extradition of FETO members and its leader, Fethullah Gülen. Turkey made many attempts to extradite Gülen, whom it saw behind the coup attempt. The United States, on the other hand, did not support Turkey on the issue.
The negative course of relations between Turkey and the US was not limited to the extradition of Gülen. In this context, an event took place in 2017 that deeply affected the relations between the two countries. Following the arrest of Metin Topuz, who has been working at the US Consulate General in Istanbul since 1982, the US announced that it suspended “non-immigrant visa applications from Turkey”. After the decision made by the US, Turkey chose to stop the e-visa application applied to US citizens in response. Topuz, who is among the employees of the US Consulate General in Istanbul, was sentenced to 8 years and 9 months in prison in the case where she was tried. After the said decision, it was stated in the statement made by the US that “the decision harmed Turkey-US relations”..
Security officer crisis
A critical incident occurred during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the United States in 2017. There was a fight between the crowd gathered to make terrorist organisation propaganda in front of the Turkish Embassy Residence in Washington and those who came to greet Erdoğan. President Erdogan’s bodyguards intervened against the provocateurs in front of the embassy residence. The incident turned into a tension between Turkey and the United States. On the other hand, a lawsuit was filed against Erdoğan’s bodyguards who were involved in the incident in the US, and a decision was made to “arrest them on sight” if they entered the US borders.
Andrew Burnson issue
One of the high points of the tensions between Turkey and the US in the recent past was the ‘Priest Andrew Brunson crisis’. Andrew Brunson, who was ordered to be deported in 2016, was arrested in December of the same year on the grounds that she was linked to FETO and PKK. While Pastor Brunson was accused of espionage, it came to the fore during the President Erdogan-US President Trump meeting held on 16 May 2017.
Erdogan, who made a statement in September 2017 in response to Trump’s request for Brunson to be released, said: “They say, ‘Give us the priest of so-and-so’. You also have a pastor. You give it to us, we give it to you, let’s do it to you in judgement.”
While relations between the two countries were strained again due to the effect of the ‘Priest Andrew Brunson crisis’, Trump frequently made statements in favor of Brunson. The sentence given to Pastor Brunson by the judiciary was commuted to house arrest in the process. In July 2018, the USA took a de facto step against Turkey and decided to impose sanctions.
US sanctions to Turkish ministers
Increasing pressure from the United States to release Pastor Andrew Brunson with him. Washington’s pressure continued with the enactment of sanctions against Turkey. In this process, another critical decision came from the US. On 1 August 2018, a sanction decision was also taken against Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül and Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu. It was decided to blacklist the two names in question, to confiscate their assets in the US, to freeze their entry into the country and all their commercial and financial relations with the US. Turkish court frees Andrew Brunson after high-level tensions with US. Brunson was hosted at the White House by US President Donald Trump on his way back to his country after the verdict.
The arrest of Iranian-born Turkish citizen Reza Zarrab was also included in the list of recent tensions between Turkey and the United States. Zarrab, who was detained by the US forces in Miami, USA, in March 2016, was arrested on charges of “breaking the American embargo against Iran”.
On the other hand, Halkbank Deputy General Manager Mehmet Hakan Atilla, who was detained in New York in March 2017, was alleged to be Zarrab’s “accomplice” and Atilla was also arrested. Atilla was imprisoned in the US for 28 months due to the aforementioned accusation and eventually came to Turkey after being released on 20 July 2019. The Turkish public thinks that the process is related to political decisions and that Turkey is the main target of the US.
S-400 issue
From past to present, one of the most fragile points of relations between Turkey and the US has been the recent S-400 crisis. The underlying issue that caused a major crisis between the two countries lies in the fact that the US sees Turkey as a colony. In this context, Turkey wanted to acquire an air defence system in response to a possible security threat in the region. While Turkey has been working in this direction for nearly thirty years, what has happened in the region in recent years has turned Turkey’s need to acquire an air defense system into an emergency. While Turkey announced that it had signed a contract with Russia on the S-400 air defence systems in 2017, this situation drew great reaction from NATO countries, especially the US.
Turkey excluded from F-35 program
The US and NATO explain their reason for opposing Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 under the heading of security. While Turkey was targeted by the United States for purchasing the S-400 air defence system from Russia, Turkey was also excluded from the F-35 program. In this context, Turkey also has problems with the US in the production project of F-35 fighter jets. While Turkey has spent 1.2 billion dollars within the scope of the F-35 project so far, it has not been able to purchase even one F-35. Despite the large sums spent for the project, it remains a matter of curiosity how this price will be paid to Turkey, which is out of the project partnership.
The situations in Syria
The picture that emerged as a result of the civil war that started in Syria in 2011 threatens Turkey in many ways. At the forefront of these issues is the terror corridor to be created in the south of Turkey. Turkey does not want DAESH and YPG/PKK near the Syrian border as they threaten its security. Action was taken in this direction and cross-border operations were started. Turkey carried out the Operations Peace Spring, Olive Branch and Euphrates Shield during the process. The United States, on the other hand, was concerned that YPG/PKK would be harmed during the said operations, and for this reason, it frequently made statements against Turkey.
Bekir Sitki Sirin is a correspondent and an author who works in Turkish media. He graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Communication. He is interested in foreign policy issues, especially in the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, Atlantic and Eurasia.