Joint US-Turkey naval drill indicates thaw
A joint US-Turkey naval exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, which was never announced by Ankara, and the statements of outgoing US Ambassador Jeff Flake published by Politico, who stressed that Turkey in times of turmoil is even more important, are seen as signs of cooperation and re-engagement between the two countries.
The drill took place on August 13-17 in the Eastern Mediterranean region with the participation of the Turkish amphibious operations and unmanned aircraft ship TCG Anadolu as well as the Turkish frigate Gokova and the US amphibious operations ship USS Wasp, and the Oak Hill frigate.
The exercise was not announced by Turkey’s Defense Ministry and was revealed by a statement from the command of the USS Wasp, which released the photos.
The opposition Republican People’s Party accused the Turkish government of hypocrisy as it claimed that US ships were supporting Israel.
Meanwhile in his comments published by Politico, Flake said last week: “When the world is at peace, Turkey is in an important position just because of geography. But when the world is in upheaval, then it’s all the more important.”
