Biden and Erdogan (archive)
Biden and Erdogan (archive)Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he had held a "fruitful and sincere" meeting with his US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.

"We believe there is no problem that cannot be resolved in Turkey-US relations," Erdogan added after holding his first meeting with Biden since his election, according to the AFP news agency.

Relations between the US and Turkey soured after Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system that the US believes can be used to spy on Western defenses.

In response to the purchase, the US sanctioned Turkey’s military procurement agency and expelled Turkey from the F-35 program, under which Western allies produce the next-generation fighter jet's parts and secure its early purchasing rights.

Turkey has repeatedly made clear it will use the Russian system despite US threats of sanctions.

Erdogan announced no progress on the S-400 dispute on Monday, saying, "On the issue of S-400s, I told (Biden) the same thing I had in the past."

"I raised the issue of F-35s," Erdogan said in a signal that he wanted Turkey admitted back into the program. "I told him what joint steps we can take on the defense industry."

Biden, who has also made a point of highlighting Turkey's deteriorating record on human rights, took three full months after his swearing-in ceremony before placing his first call to Erdogan.

That phone call was to inform him that Washington was recognizing the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Erdogan denounced the move and urged Biden to swiftly reverse it, advising the United States to "look in the mirror".