The presence of the American diplomat is of outstanding importance John BassDeputy Minister of Political Affairs and former US Ambassador to Ankara. It seems that both sides, US and Turkeythey had a comprehensive discussion on the course of bilateral relations and regional developments shortly before the US presidential elections in November.

John Bass, who arrived in Ankara on September 17, met with senior officials, including the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidanwith whom he even met on the first day, shortly after his arrival in the Turkish capital. On the same day, other bilateral talks on the Turkey-US political mechanism were held. John Bass chaired the American side and the Turkish deputy foreign minister, Nuh Yilmazof the Turkish side.

For his contacts in Ankara, the Deputy Minister of Political Affairs of USA gave an interview to the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper, which was published today. Among other things, he says that one of the main topics he raised with his interlocutors in Turkey is the “continued threat to security from ISIS in Syria.” “We want,” he emphasized in his interview, “to prevent ISIS from carrying out terrible attacks again in Turkey or in other countries. A significant part of my contacts was about how we could deal with the ongoing threat of ISIS in a way that would not jeopardize Turkey’s security, while generally helping to improve security across the region,” he said.

J. Bass: The US is in close contact with the Turkish government

Bash also referred to the difficulties presented by the normalization of Turkish-Syrian relations, while promising that the American side will remain in close contact with the Turkish government “to make sure we understand their opinion on future relations with the Assad regime.”

For the murder of the Turkish-American activist Aysenur Eggy Eggy by Israeli soldiers stated that “our hearts go out to Egi’s family” and that “no parent should have to go through what her family went through.”

Of particular interest was the position of the American official on the possibility of Turkey’s participation in the BRICS group: “We understand why Turkey may try to deepen its relations with at least some members of the BRICS group”, he said, pointing out, however, the challenges posed by the Russia and China internationally, but also within the framework of NATO. He also expressed the opinion that “Turkey is a self-confident country that maintains strong relations with many countries in a wide range.”