US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack stated that everyone always refers to Turkey as a “major NATO ally” on the global stage.
He said, “Of course, there’s no doubt about that, but more important than being a major NATO ally is that it has tremendous regional importance, which we’re beginning to see in the Ukraine-Russia issue, as we’ve seen in Syria.”
Barrack emphasized the very good relationship between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump, and that he wants to strengthen this relationship.
Regarding the talks hosted by Turkey in Istanbul, Barrack said, “I think Turkey plays a pivotal role. I think Turkey has traditional relations with both Russia and Ukraine, and this enables it to be an important mediator in establishing dialogue, at least.”
We live in a very difficult region, but Turkey is adapting very well. US Ambassador Tom Barrack said: “We live in a very difficult region, in a very difficult situation, but Turkey is adapting very well.
We have Greece, Cyprus, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, the Gulf, Russia, and China. It is overcoming all these challenges remarkably well, but its future lies in its regional position, not just as a NATO ally.
I think one of the things that irks Turkey is the European Union. It is absolutely ridiculous that its valuable defense ally is not accepted into the European Union.”
