Let's go back to Nov. 27, 2017: the most comprehensive phone call aiming to overcome the chaos in bilateral relations after Donald Trump came to office in the U.S. took place. I am talking about the photograph taken from the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara that reflects the moments the phone conversation was taking place.
There were three statements reflected to the public with respect to the phone call. On the morning of that call in Washington, Trump posted a tweet saying, “Will be speaking to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey this morning about bringing peace to the mess that I inherited in the Middle East. I will get it all done, but what a mistake, in lives and dollars (6 trillion), to be there in the first place!”
After the call ended, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan posted a tweet announcing, "It was a productive meeting with Trump." It was Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, one of the six people in the photograph, who gave more details of the phone call. He said, "Trump told Erdoğan that they [U.S.] will no longer provide arms to the YPG [People's Protection Units]."
We recently reached some interesting information, which takes us back to that phone call about 10 months later. Such that at the start of the call, President Erdoğan starts talking by bringing up one of the critical matters that poisoned bilateral relations.
He asks, "Mr. President, what about the issue of the weapons you supplied to the PYD [Democratic Union Party]?"
Trump responds like an alien that just landed on our planet from the sky: "What weapons? Are they getting these weapons for free? That's impossible. I am giving instructions right away to stop this."
The money matter is mentioned once more during the phone call. This time Trump has a request from Erdoğan. He says, "Please, back away from the S-400 issue."
Upon this, Erdoğan recalls the Patriot issue. He says, "Yes, but we urgently need an aerial defense system. You did not want to sell us the Patriot missiles even though we wanted to pay for them."
How do you think Trump responded to this?
After Erdoğan conveys Ankara's rightful complaint the conversation continues as follows:
Trump: Did you want to pay for these Patriot missiles?
Erdoğan: Of course.
Trump: I didn't know that. I am telling McMaster - the White House National Security Adviser at the time - right away. He will do what is necessary.
It seems that what was said during the call was the origin of the report made in the days following it, stating "Turkish and U.S. officials are making Patriot negotiations." Of course, those meetings are yet to yield any results. That is a different story.
What we need to do is here is do is brainstorm to make sense of Trump's attitude during the phone call that day. We can list a few of the first ideas that come to mind:
-Since he is aware that the U.S. administration is not in a rightful position against Turkey, Trump may have acted like he was "unaware" about the crisis issues regarding bilateral relations.
-Even though he knew, he may have wanted to approach the issue from a different point because he really was intending to take initiative.
-He may have wanted to show Erdoğan that he looks at everything with a mercantile perspective as part of his general style of administration.
Is money not the reason why Trump is threatening Japan, Germany, Mexico, Canada and China, too?
So can we learn a lesson that may offer a solution to the current atmosphere of chaos happening almost 10 months from this story? At least we now know him a little better. That's something too.
Even though Trump is not approaching the pastor Andrew Brunson matter from a mercantile aspect, we know that he is doing it another way that will please the American public.
Just as he first gives the message, "Look how I am standing behind American taxpayers' money," he then plays on the people's emotions as if to say, "Look how I brought our man back to the country."
Trump's behavior, arrogance and moral shortcomings correspond to part of the issue. But the mistake of "cutting off one's nose to spite one's face" may also be considered in the context of bilateral relations based on personal interests.
Neither Erdoğan nor Trump have entered an argument since the Brunson crisis broke out. This indicates that neither of them want to leave the room and slam the door shut behind them.
Ragıp Soylu, the English-language Daily Sabah newspaper's Washington reporter, says that in one of Trump's latest interviews, he said, "I had a good relationship with Erdogan until now. But he disappointed me over the Pastor Brunson issue. I think we will work it out."
Drawing courage from the words of a friend whose opinions I value dearly, I can personally say that the way out of this is again by using the Trump channel well. We need to progress through Trump against the jackals that are using Washington as their base and slyly plotting against Turkey and Erdoğan, and force him to his former position on Turkey before he complained, "Why are our relations with Turkey problematic?" This is what I am talking about.
