The following are excerpts from an interview with President Barack Obama, published in the Turkish daily, Hurriyet Daily News, on Sunday, December 19, 2010.
The relationship between Turkey and the United States remains strong and is “more important than ever” in the wake of leaked U.S. diplomatic cables critical of some officials in Ankara, the U.S. president has said.
“Our partnership is resilient, and we agreed that the irresponsible acts of WikiLeaks do not threaten it. “Given the increasingly complex challenges the world faces, I believe that U.S.-Turkish cooperation is more important now than ever,” the President said.
While reiterating his country’s support for Turkey’s fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, the U.S. president hailed the Turkish government for its moves to improve the “human rights and economic situation for Kurds,” including loosening restrictions on teaching Kurdish and on public and private broadcasting in the language.
“We have also underscored that the solution to the PKK is not military alone, but must be in tandem with efforts to improve the human rights and standards of living of all of Turkey’s citizens,” Obama said. “These are the types of steps that, if sustained and broadened over time, will diminish the appeal and strength of the PKK.”
Obama also addressed speculation that Turkey’s vote in June opposing a new round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran indicated that Ankara was shifting its foreign policy toward the Middle East and away from the West.
“Turkey has pursued an active foreign policy that has seen it interacting more intensively than ever with countries all across its neighborhood and beyond,” Obama said. “I recognize this important emerging role for Turkey.” Suggesting the controversy over the Iran vote stemmed from a “difference about tactics,” the U.S. president expressed his confidence that Turkey “shares the goal of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.