Ankara: US President Donald Trump's goal is to raise the Turkish-US alliance to the level 'it deserves,' the United States' newly appointed ambassador to Trkiye said Monday. 'I come with a really simple message from President Trump.which is his desire to raise the level of the alliance from Trkiye and the United States to the level that it deserves,' Thomas Barrack told reporters at Esenboga Airport in the Turkish capital Ankara.

According to Anadolu Agency, Barrack expressed his honor at being in the land of his ancestors and noted that Washington and Ankara have always had 'a great relationship,' stressing the need for that relationship to become 'extraordinary.' 'The president's goal is to elevate through the people, through both great leaderships of great nations, to find an accelerated peace and prosperity that make Trkiye and the United States greater and the world better,' he added.

The US Senate last week confirmed Barrack as ambassador to Trkiye in a 60-36 vote. Barrack, a longtime friend of Trump and prominent businessman, will assume the post in Ankara at a time of evolving ties between the two countries.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month, Barrack underscored Trkiye's strategic importance as a US ally. Barrack, 78, was born and raised in Southern California. He holds degrees from the University of Southern California and the University of San Diego School of Law.

Known for his close ties to Trump, he chaired his 2017 inaugural committee and was a key advisor to his 2016 campaign. In 2022, Barrack was acquitted of charges that he operated as an unregistered foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates during the first Trump administration and of providing false statements to the FBI.

He succeeds Ambassador Jeff Flake, who served from January 2022 to September 2024. The position had remained vacant since Flake's departure.