On 27 January 2021, IKV organised a webinar entitled “Transatlantic Relations under Biden and Turkey”. During the webinar, which was moderated by IKV Deputy Secretary General M. Gökhan Kilit, IKV Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu delivered an opening speech emphasizing the hope to fix transatlantic relations which were damaged under Trump’s presidency. In the panel discussion held after the opening remarks, distinguished scholars and experts held an in-depth discussion on multiple policy areas which are likely to be affected by the dynamics of the EU-US relations.

The first panellist, Prof. Kemal Kirişci, Senior Fellow at Brookings, spoke of domestic problems in the US that the Biden presidency needs to tackle urgently while considering multiple reforms in foreign relations. Dr. Pınar Artıran, WTO Chair Holder and Director of the Research Centre for International Trade Law and Arbitration at Istanbul Bilgi University, approached transatlantic relations from a trade perspective and pointed to the problems at the WTO concerning intellectual property and the trade barriers imposed by the US under Trump. Stating that the WTO is at an impasse in electing its next Director, Dr. Artıran indicated that reforming the WTO and regulating non-tariff barriers - which are on the rise in trade relations - should be among the first issues to be reviewed by the EU and the US the near future.

Prof. Aylin Ünver Noi from Haliç University delivered a speech focusing on US sanctions, while depicting the general political and economic atmosphere of the Trump era as one that had a negative impact on bilateral relations with the EU as well as with Turkey. On the other hand, Prof. Sinem Akgül Açıkmeşe from Kadir Has University focused on the EU’s expectations concerning the US under the Biden administration and referred to the priorities in the “New Transatlantic Agenda for Global Change” published by the European Commission in December 2020.

Afterwards, Prof. Tarık Oğuzlu, lecturer and the director of the Center for Social, Economic and Political Research at Antalya Bilim University, assessed bilateral relations in a wider context bringing Russia and China in the equation, defining them as an important dynamic in transatlantic relations. Underlining that Turkey was situated in a stressful position, Prof. Oğuzlu emphasized that the best strategy would be to adopt a pragmatic approach focusing on short- and medium-term alliances.

Lastly, IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas delivered a general assessment of the observations made during the panel. Mentioning the pressure on Turkey, considering the multiple challenges facing the world and the prominence of green policies both within the EU and the US, IKV Secretary General Nas stated that credible reform steps could contribute to Turkey’s relations with the EU and the US.