Erdogan on meeting Biden, easing of restrictions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said Turkey and the United States are entering a "new era" of cooperation, after the allies' relationship deteriorated in recent years over an array of issues.

Erdogan also called on the U.S. to respect Turkey's sovereign rights - in a thinly veiled reference to its decision to purchase a Russian weapons system - as well as support for Ankara's fight against Syrian Kurdish groups it considers to be terrorists.

Erdogan made the comments days after his first face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden since he took office.

The two men, who have known each other for years, met in the margins of a NATO summit in Brussels.

Erdogan has been trying to repair frayed ties with the United States and other Western partners as his government grapples with an economic downturn made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

The longtime allies have a long list of disagreements, including U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria and Turkey's purchase of Russia's S-400 defense system - a procurement that angered Washington and resulted in Ankara being kicked out of the U.S. F-35 fighter aircraft production program, sanctions on senior Turkish defense industry officials, and bans on military export licenses.

Washington says the Russian system is a threat to NATO security and insists that sanctions cannot be lifted until Turkey gets rid of the system, which has cost the country $2.5 billion.

Ankara for its part, argues that the Syrian Kurdish fighters are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

Erdogan described his talks with Biden as comprehensive and productive and that the two leaders agreed to meet again.

President Erdogan moved on to announce a further easing of coronavirus restriction, as the number of infections continue to decline and the country's vaccination program gains momentum.

Speaking after the same cabinet meeting, Erdogan said that as of July 1, lockdowns imposed on Sundays and night time curfews would be lifted, while public and private sector workers would return to normal their working hours.

Restrictions on public transport and intercity travel would also be lifted, Erdogan said.

The 7-day average of daily infections is around 5,645 - a significant drop from the record high 63,000 infections in mid-April.

The country has administered nearly 43 million vaccine doses.

More than 28,2 million people have received their first dose and 14.5 million people have received both doses.

IMAGE: AP