Turkey receives first top Biden official ahead of presidential summit

Turkey received its first top US official under the Biden administration on Thursday, ahead of a Washington-Ankara presidential summit.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman travelled to Ankara, where she spoke with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Sedat Önal, according to Hürriyet Daily News.

They discussed contentious issues such as a Turkey-Russia military deal and Washington's relations with the Kurdish YPG group, which Turkey considers a terrorist group.

The officials also reviewed arrangements for the forthcoming summit between their respective leaders, set to take place on June 14th, when NATO leaders gather in the Belgian capital of Brussels.

Last month, Biden and Erdogan "agreed on the strategic character of the bilateral relationship and the importance of working together to build greater cooperation on issues of mutual interest", according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.

But the summit comes amid increased strain on the US-Turkey relationship.

The day after their agreement to try to improve relations, Biden officially recognised the Armenian genocide of 1915, which was perpetrated by the Ottomans.

Erdogan, senior officials and the Turkish parliament were outraged by the move, adopting a resolution declaring it "null and void".

Commenting on her discussion with Ankara's top diplomat, Sherman tweeted that it was "[p]roductive".

"We appreciate Turkey’s continued support to over 4 million refugees. We also discussed the importance of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law," she wrote.

Productive discussion today in Ankara with Deputy Foreign Minister Onal about Afghanistan, Syria, and regional issues. We appreciate Turkey’s continued support to over 4 million refugees. We also discussed the importance of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. pic.twitter.com/N520jN5Dqa

— Wendy R. Sherman (@DeputySecState) May 27, 2021

Sherman's visit comes as David Satterfield, the US' ambassador to Turkey, recently met with opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People's Party, spoke with Satterfield in Ankara, at his party's premises.

The initiative reportedly came at Washington's behest, as part of its dialogue with Turkish political factions.

Satterfield called Ankara an "important ally" but said "Turkish policy must be in agreement with American and European interests," according to Turkish media reports.