Obama visit Ankara

US President Barack Obama yesterday visited Anitkabir, Ataturk's mausoleum, and laid a wreath at the tomb of Turkey's founder, and observed a minute of silence. Signing the mausoleum's memorial guestbook, Obama wrote, "I have the honor to pay tribute to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a man whose vision, tenacity and courage put the Republic of Turkey on the path of democracy and whose legacy continues to inspire generations around the world. As the 44th president of the United States of America, I look forward to strengthening US-Turkish relations and to supporting Ataturk's vision of Turkey as a modern and prosperous democracy giving hope to its people and providing 'peace at home, peace in the world'." Afterwards, Obama met with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, who welcomed him with an official ceremony. After a luncheon in his honor, Obama told a joint news conference that he wants to encourage talks between Turkey and Armenia, not tilt them in favor of one country. Obama also said that he didn't want to focus on his views, but on the views of the Turkish and Armenian peoples. Obama said that there has been a steady improvement in Turkish-US ties since 2003, despite some setbacks, and that he wants to improve relations further. Obama said the terrorist PKK is on the US' terrorist watch list, and reiterated his country's support for counter-terrorism efforts. He added that cooperation against terrorism has borne fruit in recent years and reduced terrorist attacks, and pledged to maintain support for these efforts. For his part, Gul said that Turkey and the US would improve their cooperation against terrorism, which he described as a major issue for both countries. Gul expressed willingness to work closely with the US on issues across a vast geography including Afghanistan, the Caucasus, the Balkans and the Middle East. Gul said that he and the Turkish people appreciated Obama's including Turkey on his first visit overseas since taking office. Gul also thanked Obama for his close interest in Turkey's EU membership. Afterwards, Obama met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and reportedly discussed issues such as the Middle East, terrorism, NATO, bilateral relations and the economy. Obama told Erdogan that he has closely watched the Turkish-brokered peace talks between Israel and Syria, adding that maintaining those efforts could do much to serve the cause of Mideast peace. The president also underlined the importance of cooperation in NATO, saying that Turkey makes great contributions to NATO. Erdogan and Obama also discussed Turkish-Armenian and Armenian-Azeri relations, and Obama reiterated his views on the terrorist PKK. Then Obama proceeded to Istanbul to participate in the Second Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations.