Ignatius: Obama and Erdogan have developed a working relationship
YAYINLAMA
GÜNCELLEME
American journalist David Ignatius indicates in an article published on Washington Post yesterday that both US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "have developed a working relationship." Ignatius defines Obama as "cool and unflappable" and Erdogan as "proud, sometimes hot-tempered" in his article. "They have talked by phone 13 times this year, according to the White House. The two didn't start off as friends but became so after a blunt conversation last year in Toronto. The relationship that emerged exemplifies Obama's basic formulation of ‘mutual respect and mutual interest'," he writes, adding, "Obama and Erdogan had a showdown later that month at the G-20 summit in Toronto. Obama protested, ‘You knew how important this was to me, and you didn't come with me,' recalls a senior administration official. Erdogan responded equally bluntly. Over several hours, they moved into ‘a long discussion about evolving trends in the world and what it means to be allies.' Turks agree that a real partnership was born at that meeting."