Turkish media have reported that the US president may hold a trilateral meeting with Serzh Sargsyan and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington.
In a move to reduce the ongoing tension between Turkey and the USA, Ankara is likely to send its ambassador back to Washington ahead of an international nuclear summit on 12 April, according to diplomatic sources.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are expected to attend the meeting, although this has not yet been officially announced.
According to diplomats, Ambassador Namik Tan’s return and Erdogan’s visit to the United States were made possible following a lengthy telephone conversation between Davutoglu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday.
According to the sources, there are a number of good reasons for Erdogan’s participation in the summit; his absence would probably be interpreted as a protest against US President Barack Obama.
Obama has also invited Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to the summit. Although it is not considered the best venue for a bilateral meeting between Erdogan and Sargsyan, officials said the absence of senior Turkish government members would be a disadvantage.
Another important reason for Erdogan’s possible attendance remains the fact that the summit covers an issue in which Turkey is trying to play a global role, according to officials. Turkey is an active country in the fight against the proliferation of nuclear weapons but also an advocate of the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
The issues that will be discussed in Washington, including Iran’s controversial nuclear program, are of the utmost importance for Turkey, officials said. It is also vital for Turkey to be present at the summit at a moment when the international community is seeking a consensus on potential sanctions to be applied against Iran.
Internethaber news agency reported that Erdogan was expected to meet US President Obama to discuss the Armenian-Turkish protocols before 24 April.
'In the event of a trilateral meeting between Sargsyan, Obama and Erdogan, the US president will get another opportunity to say that progress has been made in the Armenian-Turkish process and therefore to avoid using the word genocide in his annual address to the Armenian community,' Internethaber said.
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