Statement from Barrack ahead of Erdoğan-Trump meeting

U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack made statements regarding Turkey and AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at an event held in New York.

Barrack spoke at the panel titled "Voices of Diplomacy: Shaping America's Role in the World," which was part of the 2025 Concordia Summit held on September 24.

According to BBC Turkish, while responding to a question about Turkey-U.S. relations, Barrack brought up the issues of the S-400s, F-35s, and F-16s, stating, "We have been dealing with the same issues for 10 years." These remarks by Barrack drew attention one day before the planned Erdoğan-Trump meeting at the White House.

"THE ISSUE IS LEGITIMACY"

Barrack stated that U.S. President Donald Trump has developed a new approach to overcome problems in bilateral relations: "Our President said, 'I am tired of this, let's take a bold step at the level of relations and give them what they need.'"

Barrack continued his words as follows: "When I asked, 'Okay Mr. President, what do they need?' he said, 'legitimacy.' He is a very smart person. The issue is not borders, the S-400s, or the F-16s. The issue is legitimacy."

The U.S. official pointed to Turkey's importance within NATO and reminded that despite Ankara being "the closest NATO ally," it has not been included in the European Union.

"YOU WILL SEE BIG CHANGES"

Barrack also commented on the political landscape in Turkey: "(Erdoğan) has reached the age of 71. (Turkey) is a democracy but like an authoritarian one. President Trump brilliantly said, 'As a solution, I must give him legitimacy.' That is what is happening right now. I think you will see big changes as a result of this."

The Ambassador also touched upon Turkey's fighter jet acquisitions. Stating that Turkey is "the country that buys the most F-16s in the world," Barrack expressed that this situation keeps the Lockheed company afloat. Barrack pointed to the contradiction in U.S. bilateral defense relations with the words, "And we are trying to block it and give them F-35s."

Turkey was removed from the F-35 program after purchasing the S-400 air defense system from Russia.

News Source: 12punto