Erdogan Set to Meet Biden on NATO Sidelines; Erdogan Approval Rises in March

LOCAL NEWS

• Erdogan is set to meet Biden on the sidelines of tomorrow’s NATO summit for the third face-to-face meeting. Key issues will be: Turkey’s role in mediating the Ukraine crisis and the delivery of F35/F-16 jets in exchange for Turkey dropping its S-400 missile systems
• Dutch PM Rutte says he would like to see Turkey join Russia sanctions, but added that Turkey was playing an invaluable role in trying to end the war in Ukraine.
  • Turkey has thus far held a balancing act between both NATO & Russia, but faces a number of difficulties in maintaining this position over time if it wishes to boost relations with the West and join the EU. Erdogan recently said he expects the EU to relaunch membership talks urgently and discuss the customs union. – Ahval
• Erdogan’s approval rises to over 43.3% in the March Metropoll survey (+2%), marking the first notable uptick in many months. 38.6% was the lowest point in December 2021 as the economic crisis held the nation’s focus, but the Ukraine crisis has seen his approval increase. – Ahval
• FinMin Nebati tried to comfort citizens about the worsening economy by saying the lira’s crash is so bad that it cannot get any worse. “They are waiting for the dollar to hit 20,30. Why would that happen? The lira is at its weakest point right now.”
  • He said that investment continues to pour into turkey and will do so in the future. He also said that confidence in the liar had increased due to the FX-linked deposit scheme – Duvar