Turkey and the United States: Renewing Close Cooperation

Turkey and the United States: Renewing Close Cooperation The results of the 38th US-Turkey conference held on Monday were the agreements between the two countries on cooperation in the field of energy and healthcare. The US noted the extreme attractiveness of the Turkish markets for the country.
On Monday, the 38th US-Turkish conference was held online. The most relevant topic for discussion was cooperation in the energy sector. According to the conference participants, the countries plan to resume active interaction in this area.

Speaking at the conference, the chairman of the US-Turkish Business Council, James Jones, said that despite the pandemic and the associated instability in the energy market, US-Turkey relations and cooperation between the two countries in this area will continue to develop.

According to him, the energy sector has good opportunities and prospects for the development of bilateral ties - from LNG and pipeline projects in Central Asia and Iraq, to ​​renewable energy sources. Another important factor was the recently discovered natural gas field in the Black Sea.

Jones noted that modern technology and secure 5G will also help raise the level of cooperation between the two countries as NATO allies, as their commitment is to develop secure and stable communications.

Another potential area for collaboration is the health sector. At the moment, Turkey is a manufacturer of quality medical equipment. This could be the basis for the start of bilateral trade.

In addition, during his speech, Jones added that one of the main goals of American policy is to reduce the influence of China in the US trade structures. This is why trade cooperation between Turkey and the United States is a viable alternative to development projects funded by China's Belt and Road Initiative.

In a speech by Nail Olpak, Chairman of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK), it was mentioned that cooperation between the two countries can strengthen the position of the country's private sector and help overcome financial instability.

He noted that Turkey is ready to become an alternative to the Chinese market and emphasized that the state has an extremely advantageous geopolitical position, being a link between the markets of the West and the East.

Despite the impact of the pandemic on global trade, the two countries have pledged to increase trade and begin negotiations on cooperation in the energy sector.