News Analysis: Turkey's rapprochement with Russia, Iran urges U.S. to support Turks

Turkey's recent rapprochement with Russia and Iran urged the U.S. to show solidarity with Turkey, local experts said over U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Ankara.

As Turkey approached Russia and Iran, with changing its policy on Syria, the U.S. needs to diagnose the situation and show how Ankara is important for Washington, retired ambassador Uluc Ozulker told Xinhua.

This rapprochement disturbed Washington, Ozulker said, believing U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Ankara to give a message that Turkey is important for the U.S.

Biden also wants to reset relations with Ankara strained by the fallout from the July 15 failed coup attempt.

Washington has to take Ankara's demands for extradition of Fethullah Gulen, Muslim cleric based in the U.S., into consideration, therefore Washington recently sent delegations to Turkey for discussions on Gulen's case, Ozulker said.

Biden is the first White House official visiting Turkey following the failed coup attempt, which the Turkish government says was orchestrated by the Gulenist Terror Group (FETO).

Ankara asks Washington to extradite the cleric, who has been living in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, to face trial.

Gulen is accused of aiming to overthrow the government through the infiltration of Turkish state institutions.

The U.S. is between extraditing Gulen and keeping hosting him, according to the retired ambassador.

As the cleric was supported by the U.S. for opening hundreds of schools across the world, Washington will be disturbed if Gulen speaks about how the Obama administration helped him, Ozulker said.

"It will annoy Ankara if Washington refuses to extradite him," he noted, explaining this is why Biden said he wished Gulen was not in the U.S.

The U.S. also has to support Turkey's long pending military operation to Jarablus region of northern Syria.

Turkey had been urging Washington to stop supporting the Democratic Union Party (PYD), as gains of the Syrian Kurds alarmed Ankara.

The Turkish government is upset over the alliance between the U.S. and the Syria Kurds in northern Syria, as it believes the PYD is linked to outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkey fears the alliance is helping them gain territory for an autonomous zone along the Turkish border as the PYD seeks to increase its influence and the territory it controls west of the Euphrates River.

Giving an ear to Turkey's call, Biden has sent stern messages to Syrian Kurds during his visit to Ankara on Wednesday.

"We have made it absolutely clear that Kurdish forces must go back across the Euphrates River. They cannot and will not, under no circumstances, get American support if they do not keep that commitment," Biden told reporters at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Ankara.

"The U.S. sent its vice president to Turkey in an effort to address post-coup tensions, as Turkey complained about no Western leaders visiting the country to express their solidarity," said Burhanettin Duran, expert from Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research.

Biden's main purpose is to reiterate commitment of the U.S. to its friendship and alliance with Turkey, he said.

Duran believed that Biden's visit will hardly be enough to fix the impaired bilateral relations.

"Turkey-U.S. relations are going through a difficult period," Duran argued. "Both sides need to be extra careful." Endit