Over the past few months of near-stalemated U.S.-Turkey relations, analysts from both Washington and Ankara have been arguing that the “strategic” impetus that has underlined the bilateral relationship is gone and is unlikely to be recovered.
The U.S. Department of State’s announcement on Dec. 28 that the U.S. would resume full visa services in Turkey, effectively marking the end of the U.S.-Turkey visa crisis, was a huge sigh of relief for many Turkish and American travelers and expats, myself included.
There is no more apt phrase to describe the Nov. 9 meeting between Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence than to say that it put new wine in old bottles.