Biden nominates Jeff Flake as ambassador to Turkey

Source: The Hill | July 13, 2021 | Mychael Schnell

President Biden has nominated former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) to be his ambassador to Turkey, the White House announced Tuesday.

“Given the strategic importance of the United States’ relationship with our long-time NATO Ally, the Republic of Turkey, I am honored and humbled by the trust President Biden has placed in me with this ambassadorial nomination,” Flake wrote in a Medium post shortly before the White House confirmed his nomination. 

“This is a pivotal post at an important time for both of our countries,” Flake continued, adding that he is “grateful for the opportunity to serve, and eager to get to know the extraordinary people of Turkey.”

Biden’s nomination of an envoy to Turkey comes as the president works to stabilize strained relations between Washington and Anakra. Biden met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in June where he said the two held a “positive and productive meeting.” 

The U.S. and Turkey are NATO allies and Ankara has offered assistance in securing Kabul’s airport as the Biden administration finishes its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Turkey also hosts an estimated 3.6 million Syrian refugees and is the staging ground in delivering international humanitarian assistance across the Syrian border. 

But the two countries remain at odds on a number of fronts, including Turkey’s possession of a Russian missile defense system, the S-400, criticism of Erdoğan stifling political opposition and jailing dissidents, while also accusing an American citizens of masterminding a 2016 coup in the country. 

Flake’s nomination will go to the Senate, where he served for six years before retiring in 2019, for confirmation. Before the Senate, Flake served in the House for 12 years.

He sat on both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee during his time in Congress.

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