Trump’s visit a win for Turkey’s Erdogan, NATO tensions aside

ANKARA, July 8 - Turkey put on a red-white-and-blue air show and named a new airport building after President Donald Trump, seeking to take its relationship with the U.S. to new heights at a NATO summit in Ankara, even as the U.S. leader lashed out at others in the defence alliance.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Trump at the airport on Tuesday and then walked arm-in-arm with his "dear friend", who later promised to drop sanctions that he himself had imposed on Turkey during his first term as president six years ago — one of the darkest moments in U.S.-Turkish ties.

The relationship grew even brighter over the two-day summit that ended on Wednesday. Trump said he was willing to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets - though later he said he has not totally made up his mind - and repeatedly praised Erdogan, with whom he shared smiles, laughs and embraces as they communicated via translators.

TRUMP SAID HE ATTENDED BECAUSE OF ERDOGAN

For many diplomats, Turkey's single biggest challenge had been ensuring that the U.S. leader would even attend the annual gathering of 32 NATO leaders, even though he has not yet missed a summit.

Trump, who has long said that NATO allies are not pulling their weight, said he only attended because Erdogan was the host. That itself marked a diplomatic success — and an opportunity — for Turkey, which wants to boost its stature within the bloc and also overcome longstanding issues with Washington.

"It was valuable that Trump emphasised the importance he places on myself and our friendship," Erdogan said as the summit closed. "I thank my dear friend once again."

A day after his warm bilateral talks with Erdogan, Trump on Wednesday threw the summit into disarray as he demanded the U.S. cut trade ties with Spain and reiterated his claims on Greenland, irking NATO ally Denmark.

He later said there had been love and "a lot of unity" at a leaders' meeting, bringing some relief to a trans-Atlantic defence bloc wary of an unpredictable U.S. president who has questioned the alliance's value.

Sitting alongside NATO head Mark Rutte, Trump went out of his way to defend Erdogan against sharp criticism from another U.S. ally and regional power: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned this week against selling F-35s to Ankara.

U.S. PLAN TO DROP SANCTIONS

At an earlier meeting in front of reporters, Trump drew a thumbs-up from Erdogan when he said he would lift U.S. sanctions on Turkey over its 2019 purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems, and he signalled a willingness to sell the F-35s blocked by those sanctions and other U.S. laws.

Ankara had sought these steps for years even as it stood by the S-400 purchase, which at the time had upset the U.S. and other NATO allies and sown distrust.

Still, Trump's promise is likely to face resistance in the U.S. Congress, where laws require Turkey to not possess the S-400s, and also create potential problems for Ankara in Moscow, which has end-user obligations in the purchase deal.

The progress, even if mostly rhetorical, comes weeks after a U.S. court concluded a years-long criminal case against Turkish state lender Halkbank, which Erdogan had called unjust.

WESTERN SILENCE ON TURKEY RIGHTS CONCERNS

It could also give Erdogan, Turkey's leader of 23 years, a domestic boost as polls show his popularity is being tested by an unprecedented legal crackdown on the main opposition party. More widely, critics see the crackdown as a test of Turkey's democratic credentials.

Rutte said democracy means the right to demonstrate and freedom for the media, not just free elections, when asked about a wave of pre-summit arrests in Turkey, including of journalists and of a prominent comedian.

"Never before in our history has there been a government so deeply dependent on the U.S. administration," ousted main opposition Republican People's Party leader Ozgur Ozel said on Tuesday.

Trump's predecessor Joe Biden had kept Erdogan at arm's length primarily over concerns about human rights and freedoms in Turkey.

Since then, Western powers have grown relatively silent on the matter as Turkey has become a leading defence-industrial power and a bulwark against Russian aggression on NATO's southeastern flank.

Military strength was on full display when Trump arrived at the 1,100-room presidential palace in Ankara on Tuesday.

He was escorted by 100 horsemen and then greeted by both the ceremonial guard and, in a first for the palace, some guardsmen depicting historical Ottoman soldiers. As he and Erdogan walked together, Turkish jets roared overhead leaving red, white and blue contrails. REUTERS