The U.S.-Turkey Relationship and Armenia

CAP Senior Fellow Michael Werz was interviewed by Voice of America on April 2, 2010. The interview dealt with the recent U.S.-Turkish debates after the Armenia resolution was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and with the visit of German chancellor Angela Merkel to Ankara, reinvigorating a Turkish push for full membership in the European Union.

In the interview Werz argues that the reaction of the Turkish government recalling its ambassador from Washington and cancelling a planned visit by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has been harsher than necessary. Both Turkey and the United States have more to lose than to win when the relationship cannot be re-established to meet the regional challenges.

Regarding the recent visits of the German chancellor in Ankara, Werz commented that the Turkish press had seen a “warming” of Angela Merkel toward Turkey that was hardly expected after stinging political exchanges between the two countries before her arrival. Not only has Germany vested economic interest in Turkey with 300 German companies establishing branches in 2009 alone, Werz argued, but even within the German conservative party an influential minority among foreign policy expert urges a review of the stiff opposition against Turkish E.U. membership.

Read more and watch the video here.

This article was originally published in Voice of America.