The political thermometer has soared in Turkey, with Erdogan playing the anti-Americanism card for the umpteenth time to garner votes on both sides as leverage for the sale of US F-16s.
Why didn't Erdogan go to Washington?
According to reputable International Media, the Turkish Foreign Ministry claims that Erdogan rejected Biden's invitation to the White House.
Answering questions from reporters after the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu referred to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's harsh reaction to US Ambassador Jeff Flake's visit to the presidential candidate and leader. opposition officer Kemal Kilicdaroglu, claiming that Erdogan rejected an invitation from the US.
In particular, President Joe Biden invited Erdogan to the White House, but he refused because it would not be appropriate for him to visit Washington, during an election year for Turkey.
Cavusoglu said the government pays a lot of attention to election years and that officials planning to visit other countries are postponing them. As for foreign leaders coming to Turkey, the government does not accept them during election campaign periods, according to Cavusoglu.
The top diplomat revealed for the first time that Erdogan declined a White House invitation from Biden for precisely that reason, while the two leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali on November 15, 2022, an unannounced meeting.
Until the last moment it was not clear whether the meeting would take place.
After the meeting, neither side released a statement on the invitation, which was made public by Cavusoglu on Wednesday.
The fact that this news was not covered in the pro-government Turkish media probably means that the invitation mentioned by Cavusoglu, if indeed there was one, was nothing more than a compliment.
Given that the US State Department has issued several statements denying comments by Cavusoglu and the Turkish Foreign Ministry in the past, it is unclear whether Erdogan declined the invitation or even if such an invitation had been made.
Cavusoglu said visiting when the election campaign was getting under way would give the appearance of "taking sides" and said he conveyed this to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, whom he met on Wednesday.
“Under normal circumstances, ambassadors can meet with anyone in the country. Ambassadors of other countries also ask for our opinion and our "permission". Such communications are made, but the ambassador met with a presidential candidate in an election year and it is not acceptable to appear to be taking a stand,” he said.
Erdogan reacted harshly to US Ambassador Flake's visit to Kemal Kilicdaroglu on March 31.
"This is a shame. You are an ambassador and your interlocutor here is the President, use your brain a little,” Erdogan said.
Visiting a branch of the Gray Wolves (Ülkü Ocakları), the youth organization of the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) government partner, Erdogan also criticized US President Biden.
"We need to teach America a lesson in this election. See what Biden's ambassador is up to here. He goes and visits Kılıçdaroğlu. Its a shame."
American Ambassador didn't attend Erdogan's dinner
Meanwhile, Ambassador Flake did not attend an iftar dinner hosted by Erdogan for ambassadors on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Ankara said in a statement to the media: “Ambassador Flake was very happy to be invited to the traditional iftar dinner organized by the AKP Party. The ambassador will be out of Ankara on the date of the event due to his schedule and will not be able to attend. The diplomatic mission in Turkey will be represented at the event."
Since it is rare for an ambassador to decline an invitation from the president of the country where he serves, it appears that the US was seriously disturbed by Erdogan's remarks. Flake's absence from the dinner was seen as a protest by the Turkish media.
Why Cavusoglu's claims are not true
It's no secret that President Biden and Erdogan don't get along very well. Unhappy with former President Donald Trump's defeat in the last election, Erdogan said strained relations between Turkey and the US had fallen to a new all-time low after Biden formally acknowledged the Armenian Genocide in April 2021.
In addition, the US formally excluded Turkey from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in 2021 because Ankara had purchased the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
Erdogan was also not invited to last week's 2023 Democracy Summit, hosted by Biden for the second consecutive year.
Erdogan is unlikely to miss the opportunity to visit the White House before the May elections. It is widely known how willing he is to meet with American presidents at international summits. Erdogan places great importance on being a leader who is still acceptable in the West. There is no doubt that he would see a visit to the White House as a great opportunity to show that he has international support ahead of the election.
An inconsistency in Cavusoglu's statements is his claim that leaders who intend to visit Turkey are invited to come after the elections.
For example, Erdogan is looking for ways to take a photo with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the election.
During a live interview last week, Erdogan made no secret of his desire to see Putin attend the opening of the first reactor at the Russian-built Akkuyu nuclear power plant in southern Turkey on April 27.
"There is a possibility that Mr. Putin will come on April 27. If not, we will connect virtually," Erdogan said.
The Kremlin denied reports that Putin was coming to Turkey.
However, the Turkish government aims to boost Erdogan's image by holding a ceremony with Putin in attendance ahead of the election.
