ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he and President Donald Trump had made “meaningful progress” on a range of regional and bilateral issues at their first meeting in the White House in six years, where they discussed defense cooperation and trade.
However, a readout of Erdogan’s comments to reporters on his return trip from Washington made no direct reference to Turkiye’s purchases of Russian oil or of US fighter jets, which were a central part of Thursday’s talks.
After a cool relationship with Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, Ankara has been keen to leverage the friendly personal ties between Erdogan and Trump and to take advantage of a US administration eager to make deals in return for big-ticket arms and trade agreements.
Erdogan said they had exchanged views on steps to boost trade, including the revision of customs duties to achieve their $100-billion target, and added that he had left “happy” after the meeting.
“It’s certainly impossible to resolve every issue in a single meeting. However, this meeting has led to meaningful progress on many issues,” he said according to a transcript shared by his office on Friday.
Unveiling a long-awaited deal following the meeting, Turkish Airlines said it would order 75 Boeing 787 planes and had completed negotiations for 150 737 MAX planes, subject to engine talks.
Following the talks, Trump said he believed Turkiye, a NATO ally, would agree to his request to stop purchasing Russian oil. Turkiye has in recent years diversified its energy supply channels, but has also opposed Western sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, saying it needs to balance ties with Moscow and Kyiv.
The Kremlin, commenting on the Trump-Erdogan talks, said on Friday that cooperation between Russia and Turkiye was continuing. While the Turkish transcript did not mention oil, Turkiye’s energy minister said the allies signed a strategic civil nuclear cooperation memorandum of understanding.
Ahead of the meeting, both Erdogan and Trump had highlighted as key agenda points Turkiye’s purchase of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets and its desire to overcome US sanctions so it can buy advanced F-35 jets.
Trump also told reporters, both before and after the meeting, that he might lift the sanctions, which Washington imposed in 2020 — during Trump’s first term — over Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defenses.
The sanctions also ousted Turkiye from an F-35 program in which it was a buyer and manufacturer, prompting Ankara to develop its own fighter jet and seek to procure alternatives such as the Eurofighter Typhoons.
Erdogan’s comments made no mention of the jets or sanctions.
The Turkish leader said he and Trump had held extensive discussions about US ally Israel’s war in Gaza and peace efforts there.
He said they had “reached an understanding” on how to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace in Gaza and Palestine. Erdogan also said he explained to Trump the need for a two-state solution in the Middle East for regional peace.
Turkiye is a vocal critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, calling it a “genocide,” and has urged countries including the US to end their support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Israel strongly denies genocide charges.
Erdogan hails ‘meaningful progress’ in talks with Trump
https://arab.news/r4fq5
Erdogan hails ‘meaningful progress’ in talks with Trump
- Turkish president says he discussed trade, defense cooperation in White House meeting
- Erdogan and Trump agreed on ceasefire and peace efforts for Gaza
Syria’s growth accelerates as sanctions ease, refugees return
- Economy grows much faster than World Bank’s 1% estimate, fueling plans for currency’s relaunch
NEW YORK: Syria’s economy is growing much faster than the World Bank’s 1 percent estimate for 2025 as refugees flow back after the end of a 14-year civil war, fueling plans for the relaunch of the country’s currency and efforts to build a new Middle East financial hub, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh has said.
Speaking via video link at a conference in New York, Husrieh also said he welcomed a deal with Visa to establish digital payment systems and added that the country is working with the International Monetary Fund to develop methods to accurately measure economic data to reflect the resurgence.
The Syrian central bank chief, who is helping guide the war-torn country’s reintegration into the global economy after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime about a year ago, described the repeal of many US sanctions against Syria as “a miracle.”
The US Treasury on Nov. 10 announced a 180-day extension of the suspension of the so-called Caesar sanctions against Syria; lifting them entirely requires approval by the US Congress.
Husrieh said that based on discussions with US lawmakers, he expects the sanctions to be repealed by the end of 2025, ending “the last episode of the sanctions.”
“Once this happens, this will give comfort to our potential correspondent banks about dealing with Syria,” he said.
Husrieh also said that Syria was working to revamp regulations aimed at combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, which he said would provide further assurances to international lenders.
Syria’s central bank has recently organized workshops with banks from the US, Turkiye, Jordan and Australia to discuss due diligence in reviewing transactions, he added.
Husrieh said that Syria is preparing to launch a new currency in eight note denominations and confirmed plans to remove two zeroes from them in a bid to restore confidence in the battered pound.
“The new currency will be a signal and symbol for this financial liberation,” Husrieh said. “We are glad that we are working with Visa and Mastercard,” Husrieh said.
