Turkey Forces Joe Biden to Apologize

American Vice President Joe Biden nearly caused a split in the ranks of the international coalition against the Islamic State. Speaking at Harvard University, he made offending remarks about the U.S. allies that are supporting Washington in the confrontation against the Islamic State group, accusing the governments of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates of allegedly financing the warring Islamists in Iraq and Syria. In response, Joe Biden received a firmly reproving statement from Ankara and Abu Dhabi; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has even managed to get an apology from the vice president.

Joe Biden’s informal speech in front of the Harvard faculty has led to an international scandal. Assessing the prospects for the coalition in the war against the Islamic State group, the vice president predicted that Washington will expect “a hell of a long fight.” He also hinted that the American leadership counts seriously on the support of its allies in the region. However, known for his outrageous statements, Mr. Biden spoke in his usual aggressive manner on this occasion as well. The media has immediately disseminated this information.

“Our allies in the region were our largest problem in Syria,” stated Joe Biden. The Turks, Saudis and Emiratis “were so determined to take down Assad … they poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens, thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad.”

Talking about the formation of the coalition against the Islamic State group, Mr. Biden mentioned his “old friend,” as he called him, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The American vice president told how Washington had convinced Ankara to join the coalition and even quoted Mr. Erdogan as saying, “You [the U.S. ] were right, we let too many people through, now we are trying to seal the border.” It was in this way that the vice president actually accused the Turkish government of aiding Islamic radicals.

In return, Mr. Erdogan has made it personal. “If Biden said these words, then he will be history for me,” the Turkish leader threatened. He has denied that he was the author of the statement quoted by Joe Biden.

Upon learning that his words had caused an outrage in Ankara, the vice president has decided not to test the strength of the friendship with the Turkish leadership. He called Recep Tayyip Erdogan to apologize and clarify the meaning of his words. “The United States greatly values the commitments and sacrifices made by our allies and partners from around the world to combat the scourge of ISIL, including Turkey,” Joe Biden said during the phone call with the Turkish leader. At the end of last week, the Turkish government officially confirmed its readiness to join the coalition led by Washington, with the parliament giving the government permission to conduct cross-border transactions and allow the presence of foreign armed forces in Turkey.

The scandal that erupted after Joe Biden’s speech at Harvard has affected not only Turkey, but also the Arab allies, which together with Washington carry out airstrikes on the radicals. Confusion concerning the U.S. vice president’s statements was expressed in Abu Dhabi. The Minister of State for Foreign and FNC Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash said that Biden’s remarks “are far from the truth, especially with relation to the UAE’s role in confronting extremism and terrorism.”