US needs Turkey more than Turkey needs US: envoy

By Hakan Copur

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkey's envoy to the United States says Washington needs Ankara more, citing its role in Middle East if the former wants to carry out operations in the region.

Serdar Kilic told Anadolu Agency that U.S. lawmakers think Turkey needs the U.S. and is supposed to do whatever the U.S. wants it to do.

"But that is not true. Turkey does not need the U.S.," said Kilic, and stressed that the NATO allies have a "mutual relationship."

He said Turkey is the country the U.S. is going to need the most should it want to carry out operations in the Middle East.

"Therefore, Turkey needs the U.S. as much as the U.S. needs Turkey; even the U.S. needs Turkey more," he added.

His remarks came amid recent congressional efforts against Turkey, including sanctions and recognizing Armenia genocide claims in 1915, which cleared the House of Representatives and Senate floors in recent weeks.

Kilic said lawmakers behind the moves are benefitting from the bills and harming Turkish-American relations. He warned that the sanctions threat is an "extremely wrong approach."

U.S. President Donald Trump signed Friday a massive defense spending bill which included several anti-Turkey items.

The ambassador said sanctions and the Armenia resolutions are on shaky ground and brought up for political ambitions.

"We should see that these steps are harming Turkish-U.S. relations," he added.