US congressmen issue message marking republic day

Three members of the US House of Representatives' Turkey friendship group – Robert Wexler (Democrat of Florida), Ed Whitfield (Republican of Kentucky), and Kay Granger (Republican of Texas) – yesterday issued a message marking Republic Day for Turks living in the US. Stating that Turkish-US relations are critically important on the 85th anniversary of the proclamation of the republic, the message said these relations should be strengthened. Expressing support for Turkey's EU bid, the message added that the next US president should continue this support. "Turkey is an indispensable partner in the Middle East, the Caucasus, and the Black Sea," it said. The statement also said that the US is determined to eliminate the terrorist PKK threat and that it will continue intelligence-sharing towards this end.