Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed a previously announced meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. The meeting had been scheduled for May 9.
The postponement was confirmed by both Turkish and American officials on Friday, April 28. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that a new date would be set soon. However, the source familiar with the matter said the reason for the postponement was unclear.
According to Reuters, an American official noted that the meeting between the NATO allies had never been formally announced.
This postponement follows a report from Bloomberg earlier today claiming the meeting would take place on May 9. However, the White House promptly denied the report.
National Security Adviser John Kirby dismissed the Bloomberg news, stating, "There is nothing in the program to talk about in terms of President Erdogan's visit. So I don't really have any comment on that."
Representatives from the White House and the U.S. State Department declined to comment, while Erdogan's office has remained silent on the matter.
It should be noted that all parties involved have clarified that this is a postponement, not a cancellation. The specific timing of the rescheduled meeting has not been released.
Bilateral Tensions
The meeting between Erdogan and Biden would have marked the first bilateral visit to Washington since 2019, when Erdogan met with then-President Donald Trump. Biden and Erdogan have met a few times at international summits and spoken by phone since Biden took office in January 2021.
Relations between the U.S. and Turkey have been strained in recent years due to disagreements on several issues. While ties improved when Ankara endorsed Sweden's application to join NATO, tensions remain over Syria and Russia's involvement in the region, as well as the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Erdogan recently visited neighboring Iraq and met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul.
Erdoğan's Agenda
The agenda for Erdogan's planned trip to the U.S. included several key issues:
The postponement of the meeting has raised questions about the future of these discussions and the overall state of U.S.-Turkey relations.