Turkish Press
Feb 28 2009
Relations With Turkey Better After Cooperation Against Terrorist
Group, Senior U.S. Diplomat Says
Published: 2/28/2009
WASHINGTON – A senior U.S. diplomat said Friday relations between
Turkey and the United States had taken a turn for the better after the
two countries started to cooperate actively against the terrorist
organization PKK.
"Relations are better after Turkey and the U.S. launched in November
2007 an active cooperation against PKK terrorism. The new
administration is going to build relations up on this actual
agenda. Luckily, an era of tensions about Iraq have passed," said Dan
Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Speaking at a press briefing on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton’s prospective foreign visits in March to a number of countries
including Turkey, Fried said Turkey was an important actor in its
region.
"Turkey is an important player who has relations with all the sides in
the Middle East and in the Southern Caucasus. Turkey is a great friend
for the U.S. in issues such as Georgia, Azerbaijan-Armenia relations
and the Upper Karabakh," Fried said.
(ÝMB-SOL)