President Trump and Erdogan meet on sidelines of Paris WW1 commemorative summit

As world leaders gather to commemorate the centenary of World War I’s end, US President Trump and Turkish President Erdogan will have bilateral meetings on the sidelines.

Washington and Ankara have seen relations warm considerably in the last few weeks, with the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson on October 12. The US responded with an unexpected six-month Iranian oil import waiver for Turkey.

Mr Erdogan has leveraged the ongoing Jamal Khashoggi murder case through strategic handling of media coverage. The Turkish president is in a position of strength at the moment, with his bargaining power in Washington elevated by the importance of US-Saudi ties, which the Khashoggi investigation could harm.

President Erdogan backed his strong-man posturing with a statement earlier this week, in which he announced that Turkey would not comply with sanctions on Iranian oil, even after the current waiver expires. Thus, expect President Erdogan to press President Trump on long-term sanction exemptions, though Mr Trump is unlikely to acquiesce, potentially souring relations in the long term. At the very least, Erdogan will assert Turkey’s strength going forward, especially as he goes on to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day.

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