US embassy cable - 05ANKARA7237

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