Ex-US senator Jeff Flake begins post as ambassador to Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake has formally stepped into his new position as U.S. ambassador to Turkey, after presenting his credentials to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Flake is a former Republican lawmaker who endorsed U.S. President Joe Biden’s 2020 run for the White House. He served in the U.S. Senate from Arizona from 2013 to 2019 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013. He takes up the position at a difficult time for U.S.-Turkish relations. The long list of disagreements between the two NATO allies includes a rift over U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria as well as Turkey’s purchase of a Russian weapons system.