Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ANKARA: United States Does Not Have The Luxury Of Losing Turkey, Wex

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ANKARA: United States Does Not Have The Luxury Of Losing Turkey, Wex

    UNITED STATES DOES NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF LOSING TURKEY, WEXLER

    Anatolian Times, Turkey
    Turkish Press
    March 12 2007

    ANKARA - Following are the highlights from today's Turkish daily
    Sabah. The Anadolu Agency is not responsible of opinions expressed
    or the context of the editorials and does not vouch for their accuracy:

    -WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF LOSING TURKEY-

    While controversy over the draft resolution on the so-called
    Armenian genocide, which was earlier submitted to the U.S. House of
    Representatives, is going on, Robert Wexler, a U.S. Congressman &
    Co-Chairman of the Congress' Turkey Caucus & the Congressional Study
    Group on Turkey, said in an interview with the Sabah daily that the
    United States cannot afford to lose an important ally like Turkey.

    Wexler, one of the most influential members of the U.S. Congress who
    describes himself as an ally and admirer of Turkey, admitted that
    the United States failed to keep promises it made to Turkey regarding
    the fight against the terrorist organization PKK.

    Wexler portrayed Turkey as the most important ally (in the region)
    following Israel, as well as the most progressive and modern Muslim
    country. He said that Turkey has a great economic power, a significant
    cultural asset and is a significant factor of stability in its region
    thanks to its military power.

    Referring to the influence exerted by ethnic lobbies --including
    Armenian lobby-- on the U.S. Congress, Wexler said that they had
    been trying to do everything in their power to create a positive
    environment at the U.S. Congress by underscoring the importance of
    Turkey from the point of view of United States' national interests.

    He stressed that it was meaningless to complicate the situation
    in a period when thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq receive vital
    logistic support from Turkey and especially from the Incirlik base
    in southern Turkey.

    "Considering the rising influence of Russia in the region, with its
    aggressive attitudes in energy policies; tension in the Middle East;
    and ongoing Sunni-Shiite clashes; the United States needs support
    from Turkey more than ever", he said.

    Wexler noted that Turkey, as a regional power, had always fulfilled
    its commitments, and extended full support to the (ISAF) International
    Security Force in Afghanistan.

    "We should start fulfilling our promises we gave to Turkey",
    he concluded.
Working...
X