Monday, 12 March 2007* "We should not lose 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.
The Democrat member of the US House of Representatives, Robert Wexler, said "we should not lose such a significant ally as Turkey". "As the USA, we did not even take the first step for keeping our promises to Turkey" he added.
As the debates on the so-called Armenian genocide bill submitted to the US House of Representatives go on, Robert Wexler, the co-chairman of the Turkish group of the Congress, stated that the USA should not lose such a significant ally as Turkey.
Mr. Wexler said "as the USA, we did not even take the first step for keeping our promises to Turkey."
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.
12 March 2007
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Monday, 12 March 2007
Turkey and the US
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