Turkey weekly news roundup – July 8, 2020

Below is a selection of articles on Turkey we have been following, covering the most important issues over the past week.

Trilateral meeting on Syria

Al Jazeera: Iran, Russia Turkey in talks to find political solution for Syria

In the first Summit since last September held under the Astana format, the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran met virtually for talks on Syria. The talks follow a delicate ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey this March which has largely held. The three sides agreed on the need for a political solution in Syria and welcomed an upcoming meeting of the Syrian constitutional committee in August.

EU-Turkey Relations

TRT World: Turkey says will respond if EU takes new measures against it

European Union High Representative Josep Borrell,the bloc’s top diplomat, is paid a two-day visit to Turkey on July 6 and 7 for discussions on a wide range of bilateral issues. In response to the French Foreign Minister’s announcement that EU Ministers should discuss new sanctions on Turkey, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Turkey would have to respond to any new measures taken by the EU. Borrell said that that while it was not the best period in EU-Turkey relations, it is important the two sides work together to improve ties.

Anadolu Agency: ‘Visit shows importance EU places on Turkey’

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s upcoming visit to the Turkish capital reflects the importance the EU places on its relations with Turkey, the bloc’s chief foreign policy spokesperson said last week. Spokesperson Peter Stano stressed that “the trip and the exchanges are the expressions of the importance that we are attaching to our relations with Turkey.”

US-Turkey defense ties: F-35

Bloomberg: Turkey to Keep Making F-35 Parts Through 2022, Pentagon Says

According to US Defense officials, the Pentagon will continue to source key F-35 components from Turkish defense contractors through 2022,. Although Turkey was officially kicked out of the F-35 program last year a Defense Department spokesperson said in a statement that a decision was made late last year “to honor existing contractual arrangements, and accept delivery of parts that were already on contract” with the goal to “avoid costly, disruptive, and wasteful contract terminations”. The 2022 date was mentioned in a report on the F-35 by the Government Accountability Office in May which included a discussion about the program’s use of Turkish parts.

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Image: Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vladimir Putin, and Hassan Rouhani meet virtually to discussion Syria settlerment.