Biden will be firmer with Turkey than Trump: international relations expert
CAIRO, Egypt (North Press) – Turkish affairs researcher Muhammad Hamida said on Tuesday that the US president-elect Joe Biden may be firmer in US relations with Turkey as compared to the outgoing president Donald Trump.
“What draws the shapes of the relations between the US and Turkey is the developments in the issues of the area in which Turkey is involved, especially the situations in Libya, Syria, and the dispute over gas in the eastern Mediterranean,” Hamida told North Press via phone call from Cairo.
“There are clear signs that the relations between Biden and Erdogan will be based on mutual exploitation, and that Biden will be firmer than his predecessor.”
“During the recent period, the US administration dealt with Turkey on the basis that Turkey carries out what the administration allows in the area and in the interest of the US goals. This means that if Turkey crosses lines, it will face serious American opposition,” he added.
Hamida stressed that “the US administration had previously allowed Turkey to be in Syria and Libya, and even allowed its incursion in some areas after a green light by the US, which promoted special gains.”
The US believes that Turkish presence in Libya deters the powers of some other countries – in reference to Russia – which means that the US used Turkey to achieve some special strategic goals, according to Hamida.
“The American position in general will depend on the extent of the continuation of the conflicts in the area. If the same conflicts continue without any solutions, Biden will deal with Turkey in a similar manner, but firmer than before,” he noted.
However, Hamida does not exclude the possibility of Washington relying on Ankara in case of tension in the relations between the US and the Gulf states, especially in light of Biden’s expected policy with Iran.
He believes that Biden will always use these contradictions with Turkey and try to make balances, and expects US pressure on Turkey during a Biden administration regarding human rights issues, given the scale of the internal violations that Turkey witnesses.
“Certainly, Biden will exert some powerful pressure on Turkey regarding the human rights issue in order to achieve some goals.”