AMBASSADOR WILSON PRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 007237

SIPDIS

ANKARA PASS TO ADANA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD TU US
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR WILSON PRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS


Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Ambassador presented his credentials to Turkish
President Sezer on December 8. In a cordial, 20 minute
private meeting following the ceremony, Sezer commented on
the importance Turkey attaches to its close relationship with
the US, which he described as a fundamental point of his
country,s foreign policy. Sezer highlighted:

-- Iraq and the importance Turkey attaches to it remaining a
unified state, noting the assurances he received in a phone
call from President Bush in 2003 that were reiterated several
times by Ambassador Edelman;

-- the PKK terrorist threat and Turkey,s need for on-going
assistance to stop terrorists operating out of northern Iraq
and into southeast Turkey;

-- Turkey,s appreciation for US efforts to facilitate the
beginning of negotiations on EU accession and continued U.S.
involvement in promoting a solution on Cyprus;

-- the need to expand US-Turkish trade and investment and for
USG action to remove quotas and other limits that curb
Turkish exports to US markets; and

-- the government,s appreciation of work to derail efforts
by the Armenian diaspora to spoil US-Turkish relations (e.g.,
the Armenian genocide resolutions).


2. (C) Ambassador recounted Secretary Rice,s comments at his
swearing in on the strategic importance of US-Turkish
relations. He noted his previous meetings with Sezer in Baku
in connection with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline and
said the record of close US-Turkish collaboration reflected
in BTC is the template from which we should work from now on
issues of common interest. Ambassador lauded Turkey,s
contributions to a successful, democratic Iraq, including the
meeting with Iraqi Sunnis that FM Gul and Ambassador
Khalilzad participated in the previous weekend in Istanbul.
He touched briefly on our interest in working with Turkey on
Cyprus, where we share the goal of negotiating an overall
settlement acceptable to both sides of the island.
Ambassador said he hopes to re-energize US-Turkish dialogue
on the Caucasus and Central Asia, noting that Turkey can play
a useful role with all the countries in the region. There
and elsewhere in the world, Turkey is an important
inspiration, showing what free people living under democratic
governance can accomplish. Regarding business issues,
Ambassador said he would like to address obstacles American
companies encounter in Turkey, as well as issues Turkish
firms face in the US.


3. (C) The normally dour Sezer was unusually animated and
friendly, presumably reflecting his and the government,s
interest in continuing the improvements in the tone of
US-Turkish relations that has been evident in recent months.
WILSON