Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Turkey on Wednesday, in a visit that comes at a critical moment as the U.S. tries to smooth over thorny relations after last month’s failed coup. Mr. Biden, the first senior White House official to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since the takeover attempt, is seeking to blunt accusations from some Turkish officials that the U.S. helped facilitate the uprising by a segment of the Turkish armed forces. He wants to focus on the nations’ strategic alliance on counterterrorism and stability in neighboring Syria, a senior administration official said.

“The major goal of the trip is to make sure that our alliance remains rock solid and that relations get back on track,” the official said. “There are a lot of things going on right now in our relationship and neither one of us can afford to have that relationship be too strained at the moment.”

Hours before Mr. Biden landed in the Turkish capital, the U.S. joined Turkey in a fresh offensive against Islamic State-held territory in Syria. Turkey blames the terror group for a deadly bomb attack against a wedding party last weekend that killed 54 people, mostly women and children, in a Turkish city close to the border. It was the deadliest of several domestic terror attacks suffered in Turkey this year.Tensions between the U.S. and Turkey have flared in the wake of the failed coup, as Mr. Erdogan has moved to purge thousands of military and government workers he suspects of ties to Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in the U.S. whom Mr. Erdogan accuses of masterminding the attempted overthrow.

Mr. Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, has millions of followers who say they support him for his moderate Islamic teachings. He denies any part in the violence, and says he believes the charges against him are politically motivated. Turkey is seeking his extradition, in what is expected to a key issue during the daylong trip, and officials in Ankara have been frustrated by what they believe is Washington’s inattention to what they consider an urgent national security threat. U.S. officials say Turkey hasn’t provided them with evidence linking Mr. Gulen to the coup.

Mr. Biden also meets Turkey’s prime minister and parliamentary leaders. Ahead of his planned meeting with the vice president, Mr. Erdogan repeated demands that Washington extradite the religious leader in order to try him in Turkey.

“We are strategic partners, you will gain nothing by harboring such an individual in your country,” he said to applause during a speech. A group of Justice Department lawyers are in Turkey currently working with their Turkish counterparts about the request. Mr. Gulen was once a staunch political ally of Mr. Erdogan, but the two fell out publicly in 2013 as Mr. Gulen accused the president of creeping authoritarianism that he felt endangered Turkey’s democracy.

In the past month, Turkey has sent four extradition requests to Washington related to ongoing court cases here in which the government accuses him of financial crimes, among other charges. Mr. Gulen denies any wrongdoing, and his followers believe the charges against him are politically motivated. Another thorn in U.S.-Turkish relations is concern within the U.S. administration about domestic crackdowns against the Turkish political opposition, as well as the scope of the purges that have taken place since July.

Mr. Biden will privately convey those concerns, the official said, but public statements will focus instead on shows of support. The July 15 coup attempt is considered by Turks to be a tragedy akin to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. Top brass in Turkey’s armed forces attempted to take over strategic installations around the country and also launched a commando raid to kidnap the president.

As part of the 12 hours of violence, F-16s attacked Turkey’s parliament building and helicopters fired at the country’s intelligence headquarters. At least 271 people died in the fighting, before the government restored order.

After a tour of the damaged parliament, Mr. Biden expressed his sympathy for the country. “This is devastating. Can you imagine if this happened at home? Can you imagine what the American public would be saying?,” he asked, comparing it to what might have happened if the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, had reached the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Biden arrives in Turkey at a time when Mr. Erdogan has sought to mend ties with other regional allies, chiefly Russia and Iran, which are key Turkish economic partners and are also nations involved in the long-running Syria conflict that is destabilizing his nation.

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