Hurriyet, Turkey
March 22 2009

Obama’s visit a result of Turkey’s role in region-FM

Turkish foreign minister defined on Sunday the U.S. President Barack
Obama’s scheduled visit to Turkey as a result of Turkey’s role in its
region.

"Obama’s visit is a natural outcome of Turkey’s increasing role in its
region," Ali Babacan told the private Haberturk TV channel.

U.S. President Obama is expected to visit Turkey on April 6 and 7.

Babacan said that Obama had started to revise the U.S. foreign policy
after he took office, and the new U.S. administration was listening to
other views more, taking recommendations, and was in an effort to have
a closer cooperation with its allies.

The Turkish foreign minister welcomed the United States’ close
dialogue efforts, and saw U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s
visit to Turkey and the visit of President Obama scheduled for April
as the signals of the U.S. interest in the region.

Babacan said Obama’s visit would be his second abroad visit, following
his visit to Canada.

The Turkish foreign minister referred to a resolution at the
U.S. Congress regarding the incidents of 1915, and said that Turkish
executives were lobbying against the resolution in their meetings with
members of Congress and other U.S. authorities.

Babacan said Turkish executives were explaining Turkey’s theses and
the possible negative effects of such a resolution on
Turkish-U.S. relations.

The minister said Turkey aimed to normalize its relations with
Armenia, and the process was going on well.

Babacan said that Armenian authorities were discussing the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with the Azerbaijani authorities, and also
said that the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan were more
complicated and much deeper.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress