Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit the United States on May 9, a Turkish security official said today, setting the stage for the Turkish president’s first visit to the White House during the Biden presidency.
The visit to Washington will be Erdogan’s first since 2019, when he met with then-President Donald Trump, with whom he had a good personal relationship. After Joe Biden was elected in 2020, Ankara had sought another face-to-face meeting.
The official did not provide additional information about the visit, but said MIT Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will meet with members of the US House of Representatives for talks on Erdogan’s planned visit and other bilateral issues.
Yesterday, Thursday, and today, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defense Minister Yasan Guler also met with the US delegation.
There has been no immediate comment from Washington or the US embassy in Ankara on the visit.
Analysts say Biden and Erdogan will likely also discuss the Israel-Hamas war and also defense industry cooperation, including Turkey’s recently approved purchase of US F-16 fighter jets.
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