Biden expresses concerns about S-400 in meeting with Erdoğan

U.S. President Joe Biden and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sat across met for an hour on the sidelines of the summit of the twenty most important industrialized nations in Rome.

According to the White House, during the meeting Biden underscored his desire to “maintain constructive relations, expand areas of cooperation, and manage our disagreements effectively”.

The leaders discussed the political process in Syria, the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Afghans in need, elections in Libya, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, and diplomatic efforts in the South Caucasus, according to a Washington statement.

“President Biden reaffirmed our defense partnership and Turkey’s importance as a NATO Ally, but noted U.S. concerns over Turkey’s possession of the Russian S-400 missile system. He also emphasized the importance of strong democratic institutions, respect for human rights, and the rule of law for peace and prosperity,” the statement said.

The purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system has been a source of tension between the U.S. and Turkey for years, as it is incompatible with NATO systems and has fueled fears in Washington that it could be used to spy on American weapons systems. At issue is primarily the U.S. F-35 fighter jets, and the S-400 system is considered potentially the most dangerous adversary of the multirole fighter.

Prior to the meeting between Biden and Erdoğan, Reuters had reported that the U.S. president would warn Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that any precipitous actions would not benefit U.S.-Turkish relations and that crises should be avoided after Erdogan threatened to throw out the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and other foreign envoys for seeking the release of Kavala.