Former US Ambassador to Ankara: The US needs an Ataturk
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Speaking in Washington, DC at the Institute for Near Eastern Policy at a conference on Turkish leaders, former US Ambassador to Ankara, Eric Edelman, said that the US "had a need for leaders like Ataturk, Inonu, and Ozal." Edelman was US ambassador to Turkey between 2003-2005, and returned to the US capital to take up a position as assistant to the Defense Secretary.
"A tremendous capacity"
Touching on Turkey's current administration, Edelman praised Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying "particularly in the first period of his government, he showed a tremendous capacity for political and economic reforms, preparing the way for Turkey to head into EU talks." Edelman also reserved praise for Erdogan's AKP administration efforts on Cyprus peace, noting that "it is the first time in 40 years that it has come this close to finding a solution."
"Something has to be done"
Edelman also talked about Turkish society's stance on the US, noting that while he was ambassador to Ankara, polls had registered a 23% positive outlook by Turks on the US, but that currently, this rate had slipped to only 12%.