Turk-Armenian reconciliation key
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ümit Enginsoy
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 01, 2009 00:00
WASHINGTON -The recent initiation of a reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia is one of the Obama administration’s foreign-policy achievements, a spokesman for the United States National Security Council announced while appraising the president’s first 100 days in office.
The U.S. sees the recent opening of a reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia as one of the foreign-policy achievements of President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, a spokesman said Wednesday. "We've had, I think, important achievements in terms of Armenia and Turkey's reconciliation. And we'll be looking to encourage that as well," said Mike Hammer, spokesman for the president's National Security Council.
Hammer was speaking at the State Department's Foreign Press Center about the foreign-policy developments within the first 100 days of the Obama administration. The new president was inaugurated Jan. 20.
Turkey and Armenia jointly announced April 23 that they had agreed in principle to normalize their troubled relationship. The road map includes measures to move the two countries toward establishing full diplomatic relations, for Turkey to open their land border and for a joint probe of their shared history.
Hammer was asked to comment on achievements in terms of relations with Turkey during and after Obama's visit to Ankara and Istanbul in early April.
Obama’s visit key
"We think our visit to Turkey was important," the spokesman said. "Turkey is an important strategic partner and ally, both within NATO and in terms of how it engages with the greater Middle East. And we felt that the visit went extremely well."
He said the United States now was looking forward to expanding its partnership with Turkey and working with Ankara on issues of common interest. "We believe that we've laid the foundation for a very good opportunity to make significant progress," Hammer said. "So it was important to the president to go to Turkey on his first trip to Europe. And we hope again that we will have a very open dialogue and exchange of views as we move forward."
Turkey is preparing to make a larger contribution to the NATO effort in Afghanistan and to potentially offer assistance to the planned withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq next year.
In the U.S. president’s annual April 24 statement to mark the "day of remembrance of the Armenian deaths," Obama avoided using the word "genocide," instead employing the Armenian term "Meds Yeghern," used to characterize the early 20th century killings of their kinsmen.
Hammer was speaking at the State Department's Foreign Press Center about the foreign-policy developments within the first 100 days of the Obama administration. The new president was inaugurated Jan. 20.
Turkey and Armenia jointly announced April 23 that they had agreed in principle to normalize their troubled relationship. The road map includes measures to move the two countries toward establishing full diplomatic relations, for Turkey to open their land border and for a joint probe of their shared history.
Hammer was asked to comment on achievements in terms of relations with Turkey during and after Obama's visit to Ankara and Istanbul in early April.
Obama’s visit key
"We think our visit to Turkey was important," the spokesman said. "Turkey is an important strategic partner and ally, both within NATO and in terms of how it engages with the greater Middle East. And we felt that the visit went extremely well."
He said the United States now was looking forward to expanding its partnership with Turkey and working with Ankara on issues of common interest. "We believe that we've laid the foundation for a very good opportunity to make significant progress," Hammer said. "So it was important to the president to go to Turkey on his first trip to Europe. And we hope again that we will have a very open dialogue and exchange of views as we move forward."
Turkey is preparing to make a larger contribution to the NATO effort in Afghanistan and to potentially offer assistance to the planned withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq next year.
In the U.S. president’s annual April 24 statement to mark the "day of remembrance of the Armenian deaths," Obama avoided using the word "genocide," instead employing the Armenian term "Meds Yeghern," used to characterize the early 20th century killings of their kinsmen.