On Monday, the United States President Joe Biden offered an untimely fist-bump to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, in Belgium at the annual the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit Monday – as the Islamist strongman prepared to blast the American leader for his recent recognition of the Armenian genocide.
The U.S. president, wearing a face mask although he received full coronavirus vaccination against coronavirus for months, approached an unmasked Turkish president, who seated at a desk with his members. Afterward, Biden offered his fist at an angle that caught Erdogan off guard. In response, the Turkish leader rose to greet the U.S. president, continuing the unplanned knuckle contact as they spoke.
Later, Biden and Erdogan sat down together for a more formal meeting. However, in a surprise twist, the administrations asked the United States reporters to leave the room and wait in a lobby. Confirmation of the Erdogan-Biden sitting came through the press office of the Turkish president and tweeted images of Erdogan and Biden bumping wrists and smiling at one another. Furthermore, in one image shared on Twitter, Erdogan flashed a thumbs up.
Biden Recognized as a Genocide the World War I slaughter of Armenians
In April, the U.S. President recognized as a genocide the World War I Armenian slaughters by Kurds and Turks, angering the Turkish president. In 2020, Biden called on the Turkish leader to unrestraint his decision to turn the Hagia Sophia (an ex-Christian church) from a museum into a mosque. However, ahead of the recent NATO summit, Erdogan clarified that he would oppose the American leader over his stance on the Armenian genocide, saying the designation upset and worried Turkey.
Joe Biden Gives Mistimed Fist Bump to Tayyip Erdogan at NATO Summit Source: Web
Erdogan Guards attacked U.S. Citizens in 2017
Erdogan said that an ally nation taking such a stance on a matter that has nothing to do with the NATO alliance, the Armenians matter upset and disturbed them. It is impossible to go without reminding Biden of this. Furthermore, the Turkish president, since 2003, disgracefully watched in 2017 as his guards attacked American citizens near the White House after an official meeting with then-American President Donald Trump.
In addition, 15 of his personal guards faced charges in the U.S., though charges against eleven of them later dropped in 2018. In response to the attack, Congress decided to block an arms sale to Turkey. Though a NATO ally, the former U.S. president ordered sanctions in 2018 against Turkish justice and interior ministers over the arrest of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was eventually released.
In 2019, when Trump announced his plans to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, Turkey attacked American-allied Kurds in that area. The former U.S. president warned the Turkish president not to be a fool or tough guy, but Erdogan ignored his warning and launched the attack.
Moreover, the United States sanctioned Turkey in 2020 for acquiring S-400 surface-to-air missiles for $2.5 billion from Russia. America, on the other hand, repeatedly rejected the request of Erdogan to deport Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania. According to the claims of Erdogan, Gulen was behind the 2016 rebellion attempt.
