Jeff Mason

ROME (Reuters). -The U.S. President Joe Biden explained to Turkey’s President Tayyip Turkey his request for F-16 fighter planes must go through a US process and that he wanted to manage differences between them effectively.

Biden met Erdogan for 70 minutes just days after NATO allies came back from the brink in a diplomatic crisis regarding Osman Kavala’s imprisonment as a philanthropist. The meeting took place on the sidelines G20 summit in Rome.

Another U.S. official stated that Biden will warn Erdogan that “precipitous actions” would hurt U.S.-Turkish relations. He said that Erdogan had threatened to expel the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, as well as other foreign envoys who were seeking Kavala’s release.

Erdogan later dropped his threat to expell the envoys.

In a post-meeting statement, the White House stated that “President Biden confirmed our defense partnership as well as Turkey’s vitality and NATO Ally status but also noted U.S. concerns regarding Turkey’s Russian S-400 missile systems.”

The statement said, “He also highlighted the importance for strong democratic institutions and respect for people rights and the rule of Law for peace and prosper.”

The Turkish Presidency released a statement saying that the men discussed ways to increase trade and bilateral relations, as well as regional development, during a meeting which a top Turkish official described was “very positive”.

The statement stated that the two leaders had expressed their mutual commitment to strengthening relations between Turkey and America. They also agreed to create a mechanism for this purpose.

They stressed the value of NATO’s alliance and its strategic partnership.

Both men discussed Turkey’s request of F-16 fighter aircrafts. U.S. legislators have opposed this purchase on the ground that Turkey has purchased Russian missile defense system.

The senior administration official stated that the president accepted his desire for them, but also made it clear that there was a process to follow in America. He committed to working through the process and would continue to do so.

Washington’s policy disagreements on Syria and Turkey’s acquisition of Russian S-400 military systems have put strain on relations between Washington and Ankara in the recent past.

Before their talks, Biden and Erdogan took photos. Biden answered a question about whether he was going to hand Turkey F-16s.