Turkey expects more cooperation from the United States regarding the fight against terrorism, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday.
Gul made the comments during a press briefing with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is currently on a visit to Europe which includes Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria.
“Turkey’s fight against terrorism is well known and the United States is the first country that has declared the PKK as a terrorist organization,” Gul said. “We never forget the U.S. support in this respect. But we look forward to more cooperation and we have more expectations from the American side.”
Turkey is frustrated over what it sees as U.S. inaction against PKK bases in Iraq.
“The terrorist organization is benefiting from a vacuum of authority power in northern Iraq and they started to inflict harm,” Gul said, adding that he has shared his views with Rice.
Rice said joint efforts such as information sharing are important for preventing a vacuum from forming, which she said could harm Turkey. “We have had no better ally and no stronger supporter of the efforts that we are all making to see a democratic Middle East,” Rice said. “Turkey is a very good example that there is no conflict between Islam and democracy, that in fact the values of democracy and freedom are very deep here.”
In Turkey and Greece Rice is discussing advancing democracy and peace in the Middle East and beyond; combating terrorism; Cyprus and Turkey’s accession to the European Union; and Eurasian energy security.