ATAA Salutes President Obama's Visit to Turkey

"The ties among our people have deepened... and more and more Americans of Turkish origin live and work and succeed within our borders"

President Barack H. Obama
Turkish Grand National Assembly
Ankara, 2009

ATAA salutes President Obama's visit to Turkey and strongly believes that the ties between our two nations will flourish with the continued support of Turkish-Americans.

US Air Force One arrived at the Ankara Esenboga Airport on April 5, 2009 and President Obama began his official visits the next morning with a wreath-laying ceremony at Anitkabir. Following President Abdullah Gul's welcoming ceremony at the Cankaya Palace, President Obama and President Gul held a joint press conference. In response to an American journalist's question regarding the Armenian allegations (whether or not he will be using the word "Genocide" in the near future) President Obama's message was clear - that what is more important here is the development of relations between the two countries. Obama also underlined his appreciation of Turkey's active role in the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia and of Turkey's sincere efforts in maintaining a sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.

After the press conference, Obama addressed the Turkish Grand National Assembly. In his much-applauded speech, he recognized Turkey's vital role in the region and pointed out the need for an even stronger Turkish American alliance. Soon after his speech at the Parliament, President Obama held a meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wherein he stated that: Turkey is a critical strategic partner of the United States not just in matters related to counter-terrorism but "in developing economic, cultural and political links that will allow both countries to prosper."

In line with his recent remarks at the NATO Summit, Obama reiterated the new American administration's support of Turkey's membership to the European Union. Although successive US governments have always been in favor of Turkey's integration, President Obama's message employed an even stronger discourse.
Political analysts have already made it clear that this visit marks a historical turning point and will play a significant role not merely in developing the bilateral relations between Turkey and the United States but also transform the overall political structure in the region. In his first bilateral visit overseas, President Obama stressed the importance of Turkey's role as a "critical ally" of the United States in their shared vision of a more peaceful through participating in the peacekeeping operations around the world.

Perhaps the most crucial point in President Obama's message was the American people's admiration of Turkey's adherence to principles of secular democracy. Obama repeatedly stressed the great respect he had for Turkey's founding father, Atatürk, and for the engineers of Turkey's secular democratic republicanism.