Biden assurance may ease tensions with Turkey — to a point
Turkish PM welcomes statement that U.S. did not back attempted coup, but suspicion lingers
Joe Biden's declaration that the people of Turkey have no greater friend than the United States may have worked to ease tensions between the two countries — to a point.
The U.S. vice-president travelled to the Turkish capital Wednesday to "stand shoulder to shoulder" with Turkey. It was the highest-level visit of a Western official since the failed attempt to overthrow the government on July 15.
Anti-American sentiment has been running high, with many Turks, some of the country's media, and even a few politicians accusing the United States of playing a role in the attempted putsch.
The Turkish government has accused a Muslim cleric now living in self-imposed exile in the United States, Fethullah Gulen, for orchestrating the failed coup.
That sentiment has led to what are viewed — outside Turkey at least — as a web of conspiracy theories linking the U.S. to the coup.
Instead of dismissing those theories as rumour, Biden addressed them head-on in a news conference after meeting the Turkish prime minister in Ankara.
"The United States of America did not — did not — have any foreknowledge of what befell you on the 15th," Biden told reporters. "We did not support [the coup]. We continue … to stand shoulder to shoulder with not only the government of Turkey but the people of Turkey."
Turkish PM welcomes 'frank statements'
The pledges of support and friendship seemed to go some way in repairing some of the damage done to the relationship between the United States and Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was asked if Biden's words had convinced him that the U.S. had no role in the coup attempt.
"The frank statements by the vice-president are very important to us," Yildirim said. He added, though, that there "might be different opinions" about how the U.S. is still viewed by the Turkish public.
Biden also asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to be patient with the U.S. legal system as Turkey seeks the return of Gulen.
The coup attempt has done something Turkey watchers might have thought impossible just weeks ago — united what had been a very divided country around the polarizing president.
Erdogan's loudest critics keep quiet
Many of the president's loudest critics have chosen to keep quiet over the last six weeks, even as Erdogan and his government rounded up tens of thousands of those they accuse of involvement in the botched coup.
Human rights groups have accused Erdogan of carrying out a witch hunt against his political enemies.
Canada, the United States and European nations expressed deep concern over the arrests in the aftermath of July 15.
Biden sidestepped a question of whether he raised human rights concerns in the private meeting with the prime minister.
But on the issue of Syria, there is more common ground.
Hours before Biden arrived in Ankara, Turkish tanks and special forces troops crossed the border into Syria to take part in an anti-ISIS operation.
Turkish-backed Syrian rebels say they forced the self-proclaimed Islamic State from the Syrian town of Jarablus, which lies near Turkish border.
The United States-led coalition provided air support for the Turkish and Syrian forces on the ground in Jarablus.
The operation marks the largest military involvement by Turkey in Syria's war, and comes just days after the Turkish prime minister vowed that his country will play a larger role in trying to end the conflict.
The Americans have pushed Turkey to step up in the fight against ISIS and other jihadists, and as the vice-president landed on Turkish soil, those calls were answered.
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