Turkey appears to be a position to help with some of Obama's biggest upcoming foreign policy challenges.
Even before he moves into the Oval Office, Barack Obama may be on a collision course with a country that carries great weight in Middle East negotiations, has considerable influence throughout Central Asia and is close to Russia. That country is Turkey, which also has taken initiatives to mediate indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel.
In recent weeks, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also has offered to be a mediator between the incoming Obama administration and Iran. "We are the only capital that is trusted by both sides," Erdogan said. "We are the ideal negotiator." In addition, Turkey is in a strategic location as an energy corridor for oil and natural gas pipelines from Azerbaijan to the West.
While Turkey appears to be a position to help with some of Obama's biggest upcoming foreign policy challenges, the relationship may be off to a rocky start, because Obama has described 1915 events as genocide and pledged Armenian community to recognize Armenian claims on 1915 events. In a May letter to the Armenian National Committee of America, then-Sen. Barack Obama wrote, "I share your view that the United States must recognize the events of 1915 to 1923, carried out by the Ottoman Empire, as genocide.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
