The historical chronology and development process of Erdoğan-Trump relations

Trump, who recently made complimentary remarks about Turkey regarding Syria, stating "Erdoğan is my friend," also recalled their relationship, which has been filled with tensions due to strategic interests and political differences.

Here is the development process of the Erdoğan-Trump relationship;

1. PYD/YPG Tension and Syria Policy (2017-2019)

•May 9, 2017: The US announced it would provide arms support to the PYD/YPG. Turkey responded with a harsh reaction.

•January 20, 2018: Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch, conducting an operation into Afrin. Tensions with the US escalated.

•October 9, 2019: Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring. Trump threatened economic sanctions, but a compromise was reached later.

2. FETÖ and Pastor Brunson Crisis (2018)

•July 25, 2018: US Pastor Andrew Brunson was arrested in İzmir on allegations of "cooperating with terrorist organizations."

•August 10, 2018: Trump increased tariffs on steel and aluminum from Turkey due to the failure to release Brunson. The Turkish Lira lost significant value against the dollar.

•October 12, 2018: Pastor Brunson was released by court order and returned to the US. Tensions decreased following this development.

3. S-400 Crisis (2019)

•July 12, 2019: Turkey began receiving the S-400 air defense system from Russia.

•July 17, 2019: The US officially removed Turkey from the F-35 program.

•November 26, 2019: Trump brought up sanctions during a phone call with Erdoğan but avoided implementing harsh measures.

4. Jerusalem and Israel Policy (2017-2019)

•December 6, 2017: Trump announced that he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Erdoğan described this decision as an "attack on the Islamic world."

•December 13, 2017: Erdoğan made a harsh statement against Trump's Jerusalem decision at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Istanbul.

5. Operation Peace Spring and Trump's Letter (2019)

•October 9, 2019: Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring targeting northern Syria.

•October 13, 2019: Trump threatened Turkey with economic sanctions.

•October 9, 2019: Trump sent a controversial letter to Erdoğan, using the phrases "Don't be a fool" and "Don't be a tough guy." Erdoğan rejected and returned the letter.

6. Turbulent Economic and Commercial Relations

Erdoğan and Trump set a target to increase the bilateral trade volume to 100 billion dollars. However, political crises created obstacles to these goals.

The US imposing additional taxes on steel and aluminum imports from Turkey increased economic tensions.

7. NATO Summits and Bilateral Meetings (2018-2020)

•July 11, 2018: The two leaders met at the NATO Summit, showing an effort to reduce tensions in their relationship.

•December 4, 2019: At the NATO Summit in London, Erdoğan and Trump met face-to-face regarding the S-400s and operations in Syria.