PHILIP GORDON: TURKEY CONTINUING TO BE US CLOSE PARTNER
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.12.2009 18:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Suggesting that Turkey has turned its back on
its allies within NATO and in Europe, particularly at a time when
Turkish and US leaders recently had a lengthy meeting during which
they discussed a series of global matters, is an incorrect perception,
a senior US State Department official has said.
The remarks by Philip Gordon, assistant secretary of state for
Europe and Eurasian affairs, came at a hearing at the US House of
Representatives on Tuesday.
Wexler asked Gordon about his view of claims of a shift in Turkey’s
foreign policy orientation. Firstly noting that he had also read those
articles about Turkey’s foreign policy, Gordon said that Turkey has
been playing "a more active role in its region and seeking a very
important role."
Ankara and Washington may have different views on certain issues,
Gordon said, adding that US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed a series of issues including
the two countries’ approaches to Iran, Israel and Syria during their
Dec. 7 meeting at the White House.
"I believe that thinking that Turkey has turned its back to its
decades-long cooperation with NATO, the US and Europe is an incorrect
perception," Gordon was quoted. Highlighting that the meeting between
Obama and Erdogan took a few hours, he said, "This is not a sign
showing that a country is moving away from the US."
It is also not possible to say that Turkey, which is continuing its
bid to become a member of the EU, is moving away from Europe, he said.
"However, it is a fact that Turkey is continuing to be a close partner
for us with its big and important cooperation on a regional and global
scale.", Today’s Zaman reported.