Obama urges Turkey, Russia to set tension aside, focus on IS

US President Barack Obama leaves the 'Mission Innovation: Accelerating the Clean Energy Revolution' meeting at the COP2, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Le Bourget, north of Paris, Monday, Nov. 30 2015. (Ian Langsdon, Pool photo via AP

Obama, in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, vouched for the NATO ally's right to self-defense, pledging a solid U.S. commitment "to Turkey's security and its sovereignty." Yet he emphasized the need for Turkey and Russia to "de-escalate" their conflict and stay focused on the IS threat and the need to resolve Syria's long-running civil war.

"We all have a common enemy. That's ISIL," Obama said, using an acronym for the extremist group. Tensions between Turkey and Russia have been erupting into diplomatic crisis since Turkey shot down a Russian jet it accused of violating its airspace less than two weeks ago. Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed Turkey shot the plane down to protect oil he says Turkey is illegally importing from IS — a charge Turkey vehemently denies. Turkey has insisted it won't apologize for the shoot-down, which led Russia to slap a package of new sanctions against Russian products.
The spat between Turkey and Russia — two countries the U.S. sees as critical to resolving the Syria crisis — has threatened to undermine Obama's efforts to expand the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS. After IS claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks and shooting down a Russian passenger jet in Egypt, Obama had sought to turn the outrage across Europe into newfound resolve stepping up the fight.
Obama has been working to persuade Russia to focus its airstrikes in Syria against IS, instead of U.S.-backed rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad. Further muddying the diplomatic picture, Moscow has steadfastly supported Assad while the U.S. and Turkey insist he must leave power as part of a political solution to Syria's civil war.
Sitting down with Erdogan in Paris on the sidelines of global climate talks, Obama said the U.S. was very interested in accelerating its military relationship with Turkey. He also praised Turkey for generously accepting refugees fleeing violence in Syria, and said that Turkey had strengthened security along its border.