09/06/2005
WASHINGTON, United States -- President George W. Bush praised Turkey as a democratic ally and a country that works for peace in the Middle East. At a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday (8 June), Bush highlighted the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries. For his part, Erdogan said solidarity between Turkey and the United States will continue. According to White House spokesman Scott McClellan, Washington promised to address Turkey's concerns regarding operations by Kurdistan Workers Party militants purportedly based in northern Iraq. (WashingtonPost, International Herald Tribune, NTV, USA Today - 09/06/05; AFP, TurkishPress.com - 08/06/05)