Ankara: Future Party leader, former Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, has urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to finalize any trade agreements with the United States unless a ceasefire is reached in Gaza, aligning with Erdogan’s current visit to Washington, which commenced on Sunday.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Davutoglu expressed on the platform ‘X’ that U.S. President Donald Trump might present unexpected challenges, necessitating the Turkish leadership’s preparation and assertive presence in Washington to establish their own agenda. He emphasized the strategic timing of the visit, which follows the United Nations General Assembly meetings, highlighting its political significance. Davutoglu noted Trump’s attempts to prevent Erdogan from delivering potentially unsettling speeches about the United States, especially those criticizing Israel.

Davutoglu remarked on Erdogan’s pointed criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his avoidance of direct criticism of Trump
, who he claimed prioritizes commercial issues, including negotiations involving Boeing aircraft and F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. He accused Trump of treating international relations like a corporate promotion of American products.

Reflecting on Turkey’s exclusion from the F-35 program due to its acquisition of the Russian S-400 defense system, which strained NATO relations, Davutoglu anticipated Trump’s probable interest in revisiting this matter. He also condemned Trump for neglecting pressing issues such as Gaza, Syria, and Ukraine.

Davutoglu underscored the importance of Erdogan delivering a decisive message addressing a Gaza ceasefire, stability in Syria and the Middle East, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stressing the necessity for both leaders to engage on equal terms. He advised Erdogan to firmly declare that ‘no trade agreements will be signed with the United States without a ceasefire in Gaza.’