Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to U.S. President Barack Obama in Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, Monday, Sept. 5, 2016. “It may not be everything that needs to get done, but if it’s better than before we started, we’ll take it”.
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The comment comes as the United States has resisted Turkish demands to extradite Fethullah Gulan, a Turkish cleric now living in Pennsylvania whom Erdogan blames for the coup attempt.
Last month, Turkish officials shared information with USA delegations in Turkey on four different files on Gulen, who is also accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
The pair had a lot to discuss, given Turkey’s strategic importance to the U.S.as the location of an air base from which the USA conducts strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. Even on that front, disagreements persist. Turkey considers Syrian Kurdish militants backed by the United States to be connected to the PKK, which both Washington and Ankara label a terror group. Turkey and the U.S. have been at odds over the role of Kurdish forces in fighting IS in Syria. Other leaders arriving for the G20 here were greeted with a far grander welcome.
The president insisted the episode does not distract from his positive talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on climate change and other bilateral issues. US-backed Syrian Kurds have been the most effective fighting force against IS, but Turkey worries they are seeking a contiguous and autonomous zone along Turkey’s border.
“We don’t leave our values and ideals behind when we take these trips”.
President Obama and Putin spent about 90 minutes in a “constructive” meeting about getting humanitarian aid into the country, reducing violence, and cooperating on combating militant groups, the official told reporters.
Obama shrugged off that incident, too, acknowledging that disagreements over press access often arise with China but contending that they were not emblematic of the US-China relationship.
“I wouldn’t over crank the significance of it”, he said.
“Can you believe that the Chinese would not give Obama the proper stairway to get off his plane – fight on tarmac!”
Negotiators failed to work through differences, and the talks have ended for now.
“The prime minister continues to be a steadying influence during a time of transition”, Obama said.
But he said any work toward easing the deeply troubling humanitarian crisis was valuable.
“We know about special relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but we try not to interfere”, he said.
Asked if he thought “Russia is trying to influence the USA election through hacking”, President Obama answered that “President Putin is less colorful, but typically the tone of our meetings are candid, blunt, businesslike”, and that this meeting “was no different”. Obama called his sit-down with Putin “candid, blunt”, and “businesslike”.
Russian Federation has characterised all armed opponents of the Assad regime as “terrorists” and targeted them with air strikes, including groups that the U.S. supports and describes as “moderate”. Russian Federation and the United States agreed on a ceasefire in February, but that deal unraveled quickly.
Eager to show he wouldn’t yield, Obama said he would “undoubtedly” still bring up human rights and due process concerns “if and when” the two do meet.
“Our conversations with the Russians are key because, if it were not for the Russians, then Assad and the regime would not be able to sustain its offensive”, he said.
The new PM had previously used the G20 opportunity to allay any fears that Britain would still be a “global leader’ in free trade after Brexit”.
No details were provided about the suspect, but prosecutors said more arrests were likely. “Despite the turbulence of political events over the last several months, we have every intention to making sure that that continues”.
Obama’s next stop is Laos, where he’ll promote his effort to deepen ties to Southeast Asia.
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“Brexit does indeed mean Brexit”, May said.
