US, Turk officials to review relations
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ümit Enginsoy
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 01, 2009 00:00
WASHINGTON - Senior Turkish and U.S. officials are meeting here Monday to discuss their countries’ political, defense and business relationships during an annual two-day conference designed to boost cooperation between the two allies.
Top Turkish guests of the Turkish-American Council, or ATC, conference include Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
Başbuğ will also meet this week with Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and visit a number of U.S. military facilities. The two men will be keynote speakers at the ATC’s opening dinner Monday night.
Davutoğlu, who was appointed foreign minister by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a Cabinet reshuffle at the end of April, will also meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later this week. Davutoğlu will speak at the ATC conference on Tuesday.
Egemen Bağış, state minister responsible for European Union relations, and Transport Minister Binali Yildirim are also attending the conference. On the U.S. side, Democratic Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will address the conference Tuesday as well.
The annual conference on U.S.-Turkish relations is a forum for government and military officials, business leaders and academics to discuss the issues and opportunities that connect the United States and Turkey. This year’s conference is the 28th meeting organized by the group and takes place approximately two months after President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey.
Obama’s visit aimed to restore the U.S.-Turkish ties that were damaged during former Republican president George W. Bush’s term, mainly due to disputes related to the Iraq war. The ATC, whose members include major U.S. and Turkish companies doing business in each other’s countries, seeks to boost the two nations’ political and trade ties.
Başbuğ will also meet this week with Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and visit a number of U.S. military facilities. The two men will be keynote speakers at the ATC’s opening dinner Monday night.
Davutoğlu, who was appointed foreign minister by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a Cabinet reshuffle at the end of April, will also meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later this week. Davutoğlu will speak at the ATC conference on Tuesday.
Egemen Bağış, state minister responsible for European Union relations, and Transport Minister Binali Yildirim are also attending the conference. On the U.S. side, Democratic Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will address the conference Tuesday as well.
The annual conference on U.S.-Turkish relations is a forum for government and military officials, business leaders and academics to discuss the issues and opportunities that connect the United States and Turkey. This year’s conference is the 28th meeting organized by the group and takes place approximately two months after President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey.
Obama’s visit aimed to restore the U.S.-Turkish ties that were damaged during former Republican president George W. Bush’s term, mainly due to disputes related to the Iraq war. The ATC, whose members include major U.S. and Turkish companies doing business in each other’s countries, seeks to boost the two nations’ political and trade ties.