Those who expected a big – positive for Turkey – statement from the US today, after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries, said Mr. Blinken’s and Cavusoglu’s expectations in Washington did not come true in the end.

Speaking after meeting with his American counterpart in Washington today, Turkish diplomat chief Mevlut Cavusoglu made a number of statements that testify to the distance that still separates the two sides on a number of issues, as well as Ankara’s discomfort against the US Congress.

The Turkish Foreign Minister said, in particular, that the issue of the F-16 is not and should not be related to Ankara’s ratification of Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO. He also stressed that the Biden administration has not yet announced when exactly it will send its proposal for Turkish F-16s to the US Congress. He even seemed to implicitly question the resolve of the Biden side on this particular issue in the face of a Congress whose members reject many of Turkey’s demands.

Mevlut Cavusoglu also accused the United States of failing to fulfill some of the promises made to Turkey regarding the events in Syria.

In addition, he called on the US to maintain a balance between Turkey and Greece.

Before the meeting with Blinken, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu clarified some of Turkey’s expectations, arguing that the Turkish side expects the US to approve the sale of F-16 aircraft to Turkey in line with the “common strategic interests” of the two NATO countries.

Meeting Mr. Blinken and Cavusoglu began their meeting in Washington at around 9 pm Wednesday (Greek time). The topics for discussion were rich, heavy and thorny.

The Turks, for their part, would like to pave the way for the purchase of dozens of new F-16s from the United States, as well as for the modernization of dozens of F-16s already in the possession of the Turkish Air Force. They also would like Washington to move closer to Turkey’s position on the Syrian Kurds, whom Ankara calls “terrorists.”

The Biden administration, on the other hand, would like the Turkish National Assembly to ratify Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership as soon as possible, ideally before the next NATO summit, which is expected in June.

Washington would also like Turkey to drop the venomous tones that create shocks within the NATO alliance (including in the Eastern Mediterranean – Aegean, in relation to Greece), while, apparently, a thorn in the Russian S-400s that are at the disposal of Turkey.

According to Reuters, Anadolu