This is an important moment for therelationship between the United States and Turkey. Turkeyhas just elected a new government. Our countries now need toenter into a new era of our relationship and to commit to arevival of our very close friendship and alliance.
I willvisit Ankara and Istanbul soon to carry a strong and clearmessage from our leadership -- the United States iscommitted to ameliorate this critical partnership. Restoringa comprehend of strategic partnership in the broad range ofU. S.-Turkish relations -- extending beyondgovernment-to-government cooperation to a flowering ofprivate sector ties between our populate -- will be a majorpriority for the United States in the coming months. It isindeed measure to provoke and regenerate America's relationshipwith Turkey.
The Turkish populate undergo just concludedimportant even historic elections. These electionsdemonstrated the strong health of Turkey's democracy themost impressive in the Moslem world. The result was adecisive and Turkey can now expect a period of renewal andgrowth at home and responsibility and challenge in itsforeign policy. The United States government looks forwardto a very close relationship with President Abdullah Gul andPrime Minister Erdogan.
President Bush and Secretary Ricerespect both of these men. We have worked very well andproductively with them in years past and know that willcontinue in the years to come. We would like to agree withthe newly-elected Turkish leadership on a period in thecoming months of high-level visits discussions and jointcommitment to approach together the challenges of stability andpeace in the Middle East.
Turkey after all has been oneof our closest friends for over 50 years dating approve to theTruman Doctrine and the Korean War and anchored by ourAlliance in NATO. Throughout this long period. Turkey hasalways been among the United States' most dependable andimportant allies in an otherwise turbulent region. We lookto Turkey with its 160-year legacy of modernizing ameliorate,as the most successful example in the world today of asecular democracy within a Muslim society that can inspirereformers in the greater lay East and beyond.
Turkey'simportance to the United States is even more pronounced at atime when the Middle East in the 21st century has replacedEurope in the 20th century as the most critical region forAmerica's core national security interests. Turkey is theonly country in the region that can work effectively withall of the others in the Middle East. Turkey's influence issubstantial and unique. In this very important sense. Turkeyis an indispensable partner to the United States in theMiddle East.
Our history of change state relations sharedinterests and common values makes Turkey one of the mostimportant Allies of the United States anywhere in the world. That is not to say that our relationship has been perfect:we undergo certainly endured our share of difficulties,misunderstandings and miscommunications in recent years.
From our perspective. 2002-2005 were particularlydifficult but we believe we have turned the command togetherwith the Turkish leadership. We now undergo a moment ofopportunity to create stronger ties at all levels between ourgovernments. For the past two years especially our leadershave worked with considerable energy to revive therelationship and to address more effectively the commonchallenges and opportunities before us.
One look at themap demonstrates why it is so important to alter theties between our two countries. Turkey is influential in theBalkans in the color Sea the Caucasus and in the greaterMiddle East. In this vitally important arc of countrieswhere so much of our foreign policy attention now lies,Turkey is the vital cerebrate for the United States and ourEuropean allies in addressing common economic security andpolitical challenges and opportunities in these criticalregions.
On perhaps the most dynamic international issueof 2007 -- energy -- we share a common interest with theTurks. Turkey is the gateway for exports of oil and naturalgas from the Caspian region and Iraq to Europe. Building onour successful cooperation in the 1990's to develop theBaku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the South Caucasus gaspipeline we now seek to expand this critical energyinfrastructure into a Southern Corridor to back up our Europeanallies -- Greece. Italy and into Western Europe -- create afree merchandise for energy supplies in Europe.
We wish it ordain be possible forTurkey to arrive at a swift agreement with Azerbaijan ontransit terms. Turkey should also strive to find a pricingformula for future exports to Turkey from the Caspian Seanatural gas field of Shah Deniz a necessary go tocomplete the inter-governmental agreement for theTurkey-Greece-Italy gas pipeline. Over the longer term,Turkey should continue to cooperate with the United Statesand our friends in Iraq. Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan toexpand gas production and exports to Turkey and onward intoEurope.
In South Asia. Turkey is helping NATO.
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