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OBAMA HOPES TO BRING TURKEY WESTWARD
Middle East Times
April 3 2009
WASHINGTON, April 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama should court
Turkey on issues ranging from energy to regional cooperation to bring
Ankara closer to the west, an analysis says.
Obama plans to visit Turkey next week on the heels of a meeting with
NATO officials marking the 60th anniversary of the alliance. Turkish
public opinions on the United States, however, hovered at historical
lows since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Turkey boasts one of the largest military commitments to NATO, serves
as a regional energy hub and sits at the crossroads of east-west
relations.
By scheduling the visit to Turkey in the wake of the NATO meeting,
Obama has shown his administration considers Ankara a player in the
European and regional community, notes a review by The Washington
Institute for Near East Policy.
Ankara and Washington share a common vision on many issues in Iraq
and the greater region. A visit by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton earlier this year brought the two nations closer together;
however, Obama may upset that balance if he takes the position that
atrocities against the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire
constitute genocide.
Nevertheless, Obama should bring to Ankara a sweeping platform that
includes economic cooperation, accession to the European Union and
matters pertaining to European energy security.
The Obama administration "should take an active interest in Turkey and
formulate a broad-based policy coordinated across various government
agencies," the WINEP report concludes.
Middle East Times
April 3 2009
WASHINGTON, April 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama should court
Turkey on issues ranging from energy to regional cooperation to bring
Ankara closer to the west, an analysis says.
Obama plans to visit Turkey next week on the heels of a meeting with
NATO officials marking the 60th anniversary of the alliance. Turkish
public opinions on the United States, however, hovered at historical
lows since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Turkey boasts one of the largest military commitments to NATO, serves
as a regional energy hub and sits at the crossroads of east-west
relations.
By scheduling the visit to Turkey in the wake of the NATO meeting,
Obama has shown his administration considers Ankara a player in the
European and regional community, notes a review by The Washington
Institute for Near East Policy.
Ankara and Washington share a common vision on many issues in Iraq
and the greater region. A visit by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton earlier this year brought the two nations closer together;
however, Obama may upset that balance if he takes the position that
atrocities against the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire
constitute genocide.
Nevertheless, Obama should bring to Ankara a sweeping platform that
includes economic cooperation, accession to the European Union and
matters pertaining to European energy security.
The Obama administration "should take an active interest in Turkey and
formulate a broad-based policy coordinated across various government
agencies," the WINEP report concludes.