Biden meets Erdogan amid tension over defence, human rights

Sunday, 31 October 2021 14:34

By REUTERS

US President Joe Biden held talks with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rome on Sunday amid a request from Turkey for F-16 fighter jets and tension over human rights.

A US administration official said on Saturday that Biden would warn his Turkish counterpart that any "precipitous" actions would not benefit US-Turkish relations and that crises should be avoided after Erdogan threatened to throw out the US ambassador to Turkey and other foreign envoys for seeking the release of jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala.

Erdogan later withdrew his threat to expel the envoys.

Biden was expected to discuss Turkey's request to purchase F-16 fighter jets, which US lawmakers have opposed on the grounds that Turkey purchased Russian missile defence systems.

Biden and Erdogan posed for photos before their talks on Sunday. Asked if he planned to give Turkey F-16s, Biden said they were "planning to have a good conversation".

More from International News

France shuts schools as heatwave grips Europe

More than a thousand schools were closed in France on Tuesday and the top floor of the Eiffel Tower was shut to tourists as a severe heatwave continued to grip Europe, triggering health alerts across the region.
Trump signs order lifting sanctions on Syria, White House says

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, allowing an end to the country's isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington's pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war.
Suspect in murders of four Idaho college students to plead guilty

Former criminology graduate student Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to killing four Idaho college students in 2022, a move that would spare him the death penalty under a deal with prosecutors, according to the family of one of the victims.
Trump to host Netanyahu at White House on July 7, US official says

US President Donald Trump plans to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 7, a US official said, as the American leader pressed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and the return of remaining hostages.