EXPERTS FORETELL AGGRAVATION OF U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.09.2007 14:39 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Relations between Turkey and the United States may
be damaged further if the U.S. Congress recognizes the killings of
Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as genocide, warned
Dr. Ian O. Lesser, member of the team drafting the Transatlantic
Trends 2007 survey, senior fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the
United States.
"But this is not the only case. The Turkish public opinion is very
sensitive about the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) attacks. The United
States should do something on that issue not only to win the hearts
here but also as a strategic decision," he said.
The survey, unveiled yesterday, analyzes relations between the
United States and European countries through a series of studies in
13 countries, including Turkey.
There is growing frustration among Turks over perceived U.S. ignorance
on the PKK’s presence in northern Iraq, placing the country near the
top of a list of anti-American nations.
I hear what everyone else is hearing, Lesser said. The Armenian
Genocide resolution is expected to pass this year. Even though it is
symbolic, Turkish public opinion will harshly react to that. But both
parties should try to keep their reaction as moderate as possible
Lesser was not optimistic that the new leadership in Turkey, including
the new president and foreign minister, could change the current
chill in ties between the two NATO allies.
He said that a powerful majority government would be important to
mend existing fences but warned the problematic areas in bilateral
relations such as the PKK and the genocide resolution remain on the
table, Turkish Daily News reports.