U.S. willing to help Yerevan and Ankara reach agreement

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Turkish prime minister's chief foreign policy adviser said Thursday that US-Turkish relations are in a "historic era" of agreement.



The comment followed Ahmet Davutoglu's meetings with senior U.S. administration officials including national security adviser James Jones ahead of President Barack Obama's trip to Turkey early next month.



The reintroduction on Tuesday by several lawmakers of a new resolution in the House of Representatives could complicate Obama's visit and Ahmet Davutoglu said the issue was discussed in his meeting with Jones.



Asked whether Obama's views might have changed, Davutoglu was noncommittal.



"I did not say yes or no," he said. "Of course, I cannot speak on behalf of General Jones, but we went through all these issues in a very friendly and cooperative manner."



He said "all of these things could be debated from a historical perspective, but should not hijack the strategic vision of

Turkish-American relations or Turkish-Armenian relations."



Nothing can shadow the success of this visit," Davutoglu said.



White House National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer declined to comment on what Jones and Davutoglu discussed regarding the Armenian issue.



"Our focus is on how, moving forward, the U.S. can help Armenia and Turkey work together to come to terms with the past," he said. "It is important that countries have an open and honest dialogue about the past. At the same time, we want to work closely with both Turkey and Armenia on the key issues that confront the region."



"I don't want to go any further on it until we have had a chance to take a closer look at it and discuss it within the government, and that's where I'm going to leave it," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told journalists on Wednesday, World Bulletin reports.