The number of senior U.S. officials visiting Turkey has dramatically increased recently, likely due to turmoil in the Middle East, notably including the Syrian crisis, Ankara’s fight against terrorism, Iran, and the NATO anti-missile radar system housed in Turkey.
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey will visit Turkey over the weekend to discuss Syria. The top general said in late August that any broader activities inside Syria would have to be discussed and conducted within the NATO framework. Dempsey’s visit comes after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the United States “lacked initiative” on Syria and suggested that could be because of the upcoming U.S. election.
“Right now, there are certain things expected of the United States. It has not yet catered to those expectations,” Erdoğan said in a recent interview on CNN International.
Seeking backing from the international community, and particularly from the United Nations, for safety zones and eventual no-fly zones inside Syrian territory, Turkey voiced its disappointment over the lack of action at the latest meeting of the UN Security Council. Ankara is also seeking international aid to cope with the rapidly increasing number of Syrians fleeing to Turkey as a result of violence in their country.
Read more: Turmoil Brings Turkey One-way US Diplomacy , 12 September 2012 Wednesday 9:26
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