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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TURKEY NATO SUMMIT
HEADLINE: Erdogan aims to patch relations with NATO allies at summit
TEASER: Despite tensions over his closeness to Putin and his stance on Israel, Erdogan goes to Washington hoping to reset ties and boost cooperation
PUBLISHED AT: 07/08/2024 at 12:10PM
BYLINE: Dorian Jones
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Istanbul
VIDEOGRAPHER: Agencies, Berke Bas DO NOT USE NAME FOR SECURITY REASONS.
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Original, Agencies AFP, REUTERS, Turkish Presidency.
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO _x_
TRT: 2:53
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVR
UPDATE: DO NOT USE Berke Bas NAME FOR SECURITY REASONS))
((INTRO)) [[After recent years of mistrust, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends NATO’s summit in Washington on Tuesday, hoping to reset relations with Western allies. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.]]
((NARRATOR))
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the three-day NATO Summit in Washington after years of bitter differences with other members of the Western military alliance.
Analysts say Erdogan goes to the Washington meeting on a good footing, having resolved contentious issues that dogged previous NATO summits.
[[RADIO VERSION: Sinan Ulgen is an analyst with the Centre for Economics & Foreign Policy Studies, an Istanbul think tank.]]
((Sinan Ulgen, Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies – MALE IN ENGLISH))
((Via Zoom))
“At the time, NATO's enlargement to Sweden and Finland was under way, but that's now over. Turkey also backed the new secretary general, the former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte. Overall, Turkey is in line with the slate of decisions that will relate to NATO support for Ukraine.”
((Mandatory cg. TURKISH PRESIDENCY))
((NARRATOR))
But Erdogan's close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin remain points of tension with NATO allies. His ties with Putin were underscored by last week's face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization – and Turkey’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.
That relationship will require careful handling by both Washington and Ankara.
[[RADIO VERSION: ...says analyst Ulgen of the Centre for Economics & Foreign Policy Studies.]]
((Sinan Ulgen, Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies – MALE IN ENGLISH))
((Via Zoom))
“There's an understanding that as a country that neighbors Russia that has a number of interdependencies, this is, something unavoidable. However, in return, Turkey is also quite cautious in not crossing the red lines set by the US and by EU in terms of the current Russia sanctions.”
((NARRATOR))
The NATO summit in Washington will give Erdogan a chance to meet with President Joe Biden. Analysts suggest that Turkey's growing importance in Africa, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, could be an incentive for the U.S. administration to increase its cooperation with Ankara.
[[RADIO VERSION: Asli Aydintasbas is an analyst with the Brookings Institution in Washington.]]
((Asli Aydintasbas, Brookings Institution - Female in English))
((Via Zoom))
“(The US) Administration and Turkish officials are looking into Africa, where Turkey has ambitions to expand its influence both economically and in security terms. There is a renewed attention on Central Asia and, of course, an effort to see if there could be more in the Balkans when it comes to Turkey and US supporting stability and EU enlargement process.”
((NARRATOR))
A May meeting in Washington between Erdogan and Biden was cancelled amid differences over Israel’s war in Gaza and analysts say they could again prevent a meeting at the NATO summit.
((Dorian Jones, for VOA News, Istanbul))
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