WASHINGTON WANTS TO DEEPEN PARTNERSHIP WITH TURKEY IN 2010

Today’s Zaman
Jan 25, 2010

The US administration has expressed its willingness to deepen the
existing strategic partnership with ally Turkey, while a senior
official highlighted how US President Barack Obama enjoyed meeting
with Turkish leaders.

Mike Hammer, National Security Council (NSC) spokesman, was asked
to comment on Turkey-US relations while delivering a briefing on
"The Obama Administration at One Year," at the US State Department’s
Foreign Press Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday. "I think what
you saw in terms of the bilateral relationship with Turkey is the
president’s recognition of this important strategic partnership;
not only is Turkey a NATO ally but also an important country with
links the Muslim world. And that was a primary reason why as part
of our first trip to Europe we stopped in Turkey and we have been
working with the Turkish government to advance that relationship
and to work on a number of issues of common interest. Here again,
it is in our interest to further deepen that strategic partnership
and we hope that, you know, in the coming year we will continue to see
even more progress. On occasion, again we will talk about some issues
where there are some differences of opinion but I think overall that
the relationship is absolutely excellent," Hammer said.

"The president enjoyed meeting both President [Abdullah] Gul and
Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and I fully anticipate that
they will continue to have contact," Hammer noted.