Can US-Turkey relations be salvaged?

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was in Washington last week trying to bring about a “new page” in ties with the United States. Currently, Turkish-US relations are going through unprecedented strains that have left many questioning whether the relationship can be salvaged.

The general consensus, however, was that Yildirim’s meeting with Vice President Mike Pence produced little other than diplomatic platitudes about the continuing importance of the “strategic partnership.”

Yildirim did not sound optimistic prior to his talks with Pence. He told Turkish journalists in Washington that the relationship was far from excellent and “an immediate result from this visit should not be expected.”

Former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon, who has dealt with Turkey for many years, had revealed the pessimism in Washington not long before Yildirim’s visit.