United States Vice President Joe Biden had claimed that Gulf States and Turkey were funding any group that would fight against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan the President of Turkey is not thought of as being a leader who will readily admit mistakes. Vice President Biden is known for his ability to make them
Therefore, after Biden made the claim that Erdogan acknowledged fault in allowing foreign fighters to flow across its borders, it was only a short time prior to a firestorm taking place.
The White House released a statement saying the vice president had apologized for possibly implying that Turkey or any other U.S. partner or ally in the region had facilitated or intentionally supplied the growth of the Daesh, or any other violent extremist group inside Syria.
No response was immediately forth coming from Erdogan, who frequently had taken umbrage to comments made by officials from the U.S.
However, this current furor arrives at a time that is critical when the relationship is already fraught with Turkey, one of its NATO allies.
The U.S. is urgently trying to persuade Turkey to join the coalition that has been formed to fight the Daesh.
Turkey, which shares with both Syria and Iraq a long border and already hosts troops from the U.S., participation is thought of as vital.
Thus far, however Turkey has declined to join the coalition.
Erdogan asked for Biden’s apology early on Saturday after he was confronted with journalists with comments by Biden.
The U.S. vice president claimed Erdogan told him during a telephone call that his country was wrong in allowing thousands of militants from foreign countries to enter Syria.
Although it remained unclear whether the Turkish president was more upset that Bided accused Turkey of allowing foreign fighters into Syria from Turkey or by the allegation that he had acknowledged fault.
Erdogan has insisted the country did not provide the smallest amount of support to a terrorist group, including Daesh.
