Ambassador Flake: Turkey is a crucial US ally, key NATO member

Turkey is increasingly taking its place on the world stage as a bigger actor and remains an indispensable ally of the United States, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeffrey Flake said, adding: “As the United States and Turkey, we see the benefit of our current close relationship. Our security has strengthened. Turkey has been an important member of NATO for 70 years.”

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) in an interview published Tuesday, the newly appointed envoy evaluated the bilateral ties between the two NATO allies and regional issues.

“Turkey is an indispensable ally of the United States. Turkey, as a 70-year NATO member, is a critical country at a very important time for us. This is extremely important for us, for regional and world security … Turkey is increasingly taking its place on the world stage as a bigger player,” he stated.

Expressing that he will contribute to the “continuation of strong bilateral relations” and that relations can be even stronger, Flake said that the two countries have many common interests.

Emphasizing that Turkey-U.S. relations are not just about security, Flake pointed out that the economy is an important and developing area for both countries.

“We have an extensive and growing trade relationship with Turkey, (an) important market. So we have many vital things that we need to promote and develop,” he stated, adding that the trade with Turkey increased by 28% last year, reaching $28 billion (TL 382.63 billion).

Drawing attention to regional developments, Flake said: “Undoubtedly, our relations with Turkey are much more important in the face of emerging threats in the region, as in Ukraine now.”

Regarding the cooperation between Turkey and the United States in NATO, Flake said: “Turkey is an important NATO member. It has the second largest F-16 fleet and is the third-largest contributor to NATO missions.”

Citing the recent phone call he had with the U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison, Flake continued as follows: “(Hutchison) asked me to convey the United States’ thanks to Turkey for its role in NATO and, in particular, its commitment to the United States and its commitments to NATO missions abroad. So this is extremely important, especially when there is a threat like Russia.

“I must also say that Turkey remains determined to support Ukraine’s sovereignty. This is very important to us for the region and the world. It has also helped Ukraine to maintain its sovereignty. On the other hand, Turkey also shared our commitment to ‘applying to a diplomatic solution if there is a way out.’ It gave great support in this regard.”

Moscow and Kyiv have been locked in a conflict since hostilities in the eastern Donbass region broke out in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, prompting fears it could be planning another military offensive against the former Soviet republic.

The United States and its allies have warned of an imminent attack and threatened Russia with “severe consequences.”

Moscow, however, has denied it is preparing to invade Ukraine and said its troops are there for exercises. The Kremlin also issued a list of security demands from the West, including a rollback of troop deployments to some ex-Soviet states and guarantees that Ukraine and Georgia will not join NATO.

Turkey has been closely following the developments and is in close contact with both Kyiv and Moscow. Ankara has also offered to mediate talks between them.