Bush, Erdogan aim to get US-Turkish relations back on track

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2005

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted their desire to overcome differences over the Iraq war that created tensions, as they met.

Ankara had been one of Washington's closest allies until 2003, when it refused to allow US troops to use its territory as a launching pad for their invasion of Iraq, cooling relations between the two NATO members.

After meeting with Erdogan at the White House, Bush praised democracy in Turkey as "an important example for the people in the broader Middle East."

The White House also expressed support, ahead of the talks, for Turkey's membership in the European Union, despite the crisis caused by the rejection of the European constitution in two key countries....