Barack Obama to visit Turkey next month

2009-03-09 12:24:00

ArmInfo. US President Barack Obama is going to visit Turkey next month,
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said over the joint
press-conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, the
Associated Press reported.

As Turkish Hurriet newspaper says Obama’s decision is a cue for
Turkey’s central role in the new administration’s foreign policy and
likely the beginning of an era of intense cooperation that will
amount to a strategic partnership.

The timing and scope of Obama’s visit remain unclear but he is expected
to come at the end of a European tour next month, which will include a
G-20 summit in London and a NATO summit in Strasbourg during the first
week of April. It is likely that Obama will be in Turkey between April
6 and 8, when he is expected to participate in an Istanbul summit of
the United Nations-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations.

For many in Ankara, both the talks with Clinton and the upcoming
Obama’s visit mark the beginning of a new era between two allies, whose
ties had become strained in recent years over Turkey’s refusal,
in 2003, to open a northern front to the U.S. in its war in Iraq.
"Turkish-American relations have entered into a new era," Babacan said.

Diplomatic sources said efforts for the U.S. Congress to recognize the
killings of Armenians in 1915 as genocide did not appear on the agenda
of the Clinton-Babacan talks. But a joint statement released
following the meeting highlighted U.S. support for "the efforts of
Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations."

Still, that does not rule out the possibility of U.S. recognition of
Armenia’s claims. "I still see a risk," Babacan said. "Mr. Obama made
the promise five times in a row," Babacan said.