Deputy PM Arınç refutes claims of Obama-Erdoğan cool down
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has refuted claims in the media suggesting that the relationship between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Barack Obama has cooled down, stressing that a phone call between Obama and Erdoğan on Feb. 19 was positive.
Speaking at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Arınç said some have suggested relations between Obama and Erdoğan are strained, but the two leaders recently had a phone conversation on Feb. 19. According to Arınç, the main subjects of the conversation were the start of Cyprus negotiations, Syria, Egypt and the developments in Ukraine.
According to Arınç, the phone conversation was positive overall, with Obama stating that the good relations between Turkey and the US will continue.
According to a White House statement issued on Feb. 19, Obama and Erdoğan discussed the need for strong, sustainable and balanced growth in the global economy, and the “President noted the importance of sound policies rooted in the rule of law to reassure the financial markets, nurture a predictable investment environment, strengthen bilateral ties, and benefit the future of Turkey.”
Obama and Erdoğan talk about Gülen
The Turkish media reported on Tuesday that during the phone conversation, Obama warned Erdoğan not to interfere in US internal affairs after Turkish complaints about hosting Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in Pennsylvania.
According to the press, Erdoğan told Obama that Turkey does not interfere in US internal affairs but that the US is hosting someone -- Gülen -- who is interfering in internal Turkish affairs. Obama reportedly replied, “I got the message,” the Radikal daily reported.
The Hürriyet daily reported that Erdoğan had briefed deputies of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) at the party's headquarters on Monday regarding his phone conversation with Obama.
Gülen is in self-imposed exile in the US though there is no legal hurdle that prevents him from returning to Turkey. Shortly after he went to the US in 2000, he was charged with establishing an illegal organization in Turkey, but was eventually acquitted in 2008.
According to Hürriyet, Erdoğan briefed Obama on a new Internet law which was recently signed by President Abdullah Gül and a law on the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which is still waiting for Gül's signature. The Internet law and the law on restructuring Turkey's judicial system have widely been criticized locally and internationally due to concerns of limitations on freedoms and the independence and impartiality of the justice system and the separation of powers.
Erdoğan briefed his deputies that he had told Obama that Ankara is not interfering in the functioning of the HSYK, Hürriyet reported.
The Feb. 19 phone conversation was the first phone call between Obama and Erdoğan in six months.
Obama and Erdoğan spoke on the phone 18 times during the Arab Spring in 2011, with Obama reportedly saying at the time that Erdoğan was one of the five world leaders he spoke to most often. However, the previous phone conversation between the two leaders had been in August 2013.
In his recent call to Erdoğan, Obama stressed the importance of sound policies rooted in the rule of law to reassure financial markets and nurture a predictable environment for investment.
The US administration has mostly opted to remain silent following recent developments in Turkey, including corruption and bribery investigations involving some members of the ruling AK Party government and their relatives and the purging of some members of the judiciary and law enforcement officials. The AK Party government's restructuring of Turkey's judicial system to give more powers to the executive has raised concerns about the separation of powers. The new Internet law which restricts freedom of expression in Turkey and the government's tight control over the media have also attracted criticism.
One sign, however, of the US administration's displeasure regarding recent events in Turkey was the last-minute postponement of US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's visit to Turkey in late January. Even though Hagel's meetings with Turkish officials were already arranged, Today's Zaman learned that the White House told Hagel to postpone his visit at the last minute. The Pentagon denied that Hagel's visit was postponed, saying that “it was under discussion as a possible option for his upcoming trip to Europe, but scheduling issues precluded us from being able to make it work.”
US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns paid a surprise visit to İstanbul on Monday to meet with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu for bilateral and regional consultations.
In a statement announcing Burns' visit, the Turkish Foreign Ministry emphasized the close political dialogue between Turkey and the US and said the main agenda items will be the Syrian crisis, the Cyprus peace process and the fight against terrorism, as well as bilateral and regional issues.
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