Robert Wexler, former congressman (D-FL), president, Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, address, “Model Partnership: Creative Approaches to U.S.-Turkey Relations,” SETA Foundation, February 17, 2010:
“American-Turkish relations I think are at a point of honesty to a degree that they haven’t been before. They are based on real mutual interests, and at times, differences of perspectives, which are fine amongst allies, if they are explained and we seek to avoid working at cross purposes unless it’s absolutely necessary. In terms of American-Turkish cooperation in Iraq, it’s at a high point. In terms of American-Turkish cooperation in Afghanistan, very significant degrees of cooperation. The Turkish government and the Turkish private sector are playing instrumental roles in both Iraq and Afghanistan; all of which our diplomats, military people, strategic thinkers are confident is in America’s interest as well as Turkey’s to pursue this kind of level of cooperation. If we had this discussion three and half or four years ago, of course we would be talking about the PKK … But today the level of cooperation on that issue, I believe, is respected on both sides of this equation. In the context of Turkey and Armenia, I think any objective observer would have to, in the context of the political dynamic in which any leader exists, would have to respect enormously the efforts of both the Turkish and the Armenian leadership for overcoming the historical divide and presenting constructive positive paths for both countries to obtain their goals.”
