US values Turkey's role, says senior official

“We value the role that Turkey plays as a bridge between the West and the region,” Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Philip Crowley said at a news conference Thursday, noting that since Iran is a neighbor to Turkey, “it has to develop its own relationship.”

“And we will, we are, we have ongoing dialogue with Turkey regarding issues with respect to Iran, also with respect to Syria and efforts more broadly toward peace in the region,” he added.

Mentioning U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in London, Crowley said: “They stay in regular contact. I am certain that Iran is one of the subjects that they continue to discuss.”

“We may or may not see the situation identically, but we certainly value Turkey’s role in trying to help resolve these issues,” the official added. “And we would simply encourage that we all have to make clear to Iran that the present course that it’s on is not the correct one, and that it needs to address the concerns that the entire international community has about its nuclear programs.”

/Hurriyet Daily News/