Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to travel to Washington on Tuesday to meet US officials, with talks set to focus on Syria and on Ankara potentially re-entering the F-35 fighter jet programme.
Mr Fidan, who met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month, is expected to push for US sanctions on Syria to be lifted, according to written comments provided by a Foreign Ministry official before the trip.
The US, which has so far been reluctant to wade into Syria's turbulent politics, has left most of the sanctions levied against the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad in place, despite international calls for them to be lifted.
The Turkish official is likely to push for deeper co-ordination between Ankara and Washington on Syria, and the continuing need to combat ISIS. Discussions are also expected to touch on badly needed humanitarian assistance and reconstruction in the country.
Mr Fidan is also expected to raise Turkey’s desire to return to the F-35 programme. Ankara lost access to the advanced planes when it signed a deal with Russia in 2017 to buy its S-400 anti-aircraft system.
The concern from Washington was that Turkey could test the S-400's radar on F-35 jets. Through the F-35 programme, Turkey would be allowed both to buy and manufacture the planes domestically. After the purchase of the Russian anti-aircraft system, Turkey was denied the planes and the US hit Ankara with sanctions.
After a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, US President Donald Trump expressed openness to the idea of selling Turkey F-35 jets if there was an agreement that rendered the Russian S-400 system inoperable, Fox News reported, citing sources.
Mr Fidan's visit comes as protests have erupted across Turkey after the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is accused of corruption.
Mr Imamoglu, a popular figure in the city, is seen as a potential challenger to Mr Erdogan, who has been in power for more than two decades. The Turkish government has denied the arrest was politically motivated.
Both Turkey and the US have sent invitations for President-level visits, but no dates are set, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told The National.
Lizzie Porter contributed to this report from Istanbul
