Barack Obama Meets Turkish President

BARACK OBAMA MEETS TURKISH PRESIDENT

ArmInfo
2009-04-06 15:06:00

ArmInfo. Within the frames of his two-day visit to Turkey, US President
Barack Obama met Head of the Turkish State Abdullah Gul.

As Turkish sources report, the main topic for the U.S. was
expected to be Turkey’s support during the troop withdrawal
from Iraq. The Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict, energy diplomacy,
Iran and stronger transatlantic relations, as well as the Armenian
Genocide and its possible recognition by the USA were also expected
to be discussed. After the meeting the sides were to give a joint
press-conference.

After his meeting with Gul, Obama is make a speech at the Turkish
Parliament. During his visit to Parliament, he will hold talks with
the speaker as well as with the leaders of political parties. Obama
officially began his Turkey visit after laying a wreath at Anitkabir,
the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to pay his respects to the
founder of the modern Turkish Republic. "I am honored to pay tribute
to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a man whose vision, tenacity, and courage
put the Republic of Turkey on the path of democracy and whose legacy
continues to inspire generations around the world.

To note, Ataturk continued his predecessors Young Turks’ policy of
the Armenian Genocide in East Armenia. It was he that expressed the
intention to destroy the Armenian army and Armenian State, and fight
any movement aiming to create independent Armenia. Furthermore, he
headed the pogroms and massacre of the Christian population during
the Armenian-Turkish (1920) and Greek-Turkish (1919-22) wars.