Biden, Erdoğan Hold ‘Productive’ Chat

US President Joe Biden on Monday said he had a “positive and productive” meeting with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Brussels, promising to “continue discussions and … make real progress” with Ankara. The two leaders held the face-to-face – their first since Biden took office – on the sidelines of the NATO summit, and following months of growing tensions between the administrations. Erdoğan seconded the president’s sentiments, saying the hourlong talk was productive and sincere. “There are no issues between [us] that are unsolvable and areas of cooperation are richer and larger than [our] problems,” he said. Despite the warm words, no details were given on how the two countries plan to bridge the many divides straining their relations. Turkey’s acquisition of advanced Russian air defense weaponry, its heavy involvement in the Libyan and Syrian conflicts and its provocations in the Mediterranean Sea have all angered its NATO allies. “Our thoughts on the S-400 [Russian missiles] are the same as before, I relayed [that] to Mr. Biden,” Erdoğan said Monday, signaling no shift in the Turkish position.