Word: ankara
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...made all camps happy, but he also gave everyone something to think about," says Turkish newspaper columnist Cuneyt Ulsever of Obama's first day in the capital, Ankara, where he addressed the parliament and met with leaders. "He met with the nationalist opposition but said 'Deal with your past.' He honored the government and hugged the President but asked for progress on normalizing relations with Armenia and improving Kurdish rights. For the secularists, he emphasized Turkey's secular identity but also spoke of respect for Islam's rich history." (See pictures of the Obamas abroad...
...Only time will tell whether Ankara has accepted that in order to be a "model partner," in Obama's words, it must also implement democratic reforms and address the murkier aspects of its history. On Tuesday, a nationalist Turkish leader said he wouldn't "tolerate the U.S. President's lack of courtesy" in calling on Turkey to reckon with its past, resolve its dispute with neighbor Armenia and reopen their shared border. But for now, "this is the best foreign policy opportunity Turkey has had in years," says Rusen Cakir, a Turkish expert in Islamic affairs...
...Palestinians, and Afghanistan. It also combines a mainly Muslim population with a secular democracy. Washington's close ties here exemplify the type of relationship Obama hopes to build with the rest of the Islamic world. "Some people have asked me if I chose to continue my travels to Ankara and Istanbul to send a message to the world," Obama said. "And my answer is simple: Evet...
...with the legacy of slavery, he urged Turks to "reckon with their past" in dealing with the killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces in 1915. During last year's presidential campaign, Obama had said he would officially recognize the deaths as genocide. But in Ankara, he steered clear of the term - which Turkey rejects - and instead voiced support for Turkey's efforts to normalize relations with Armenia...
...also urged Ankara to improve minority rights and democratic reforms. The work of a democracy, he said, "is never over...