Readout of President Obama’s Call with Prime Minister Erdogan

HE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 19, 2014

Readout of President Obama’s Call with Prime Minister Erdogan

President Obama spoke by phone today with Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey on a range of bilateral and regional issues.  The President affirmed the value he places on a strong, mutually respectful bilateral relationship with the Republic of Turkey and expressed his view that Turkey can demonstrate leadership in the world through positive engagement.  The President and Prime Minister agreed on the importance of close cooperation between our two countries to address the growing terrorist presence in Syria and on the shared interest in continuing efforts to advance a political solution to the Syria conflict.  The President and Prime Minister discussed the importance of encouraging Baghdad and Erbil to find common ground on energy issues and supporting the agreement they achieve.  The President thanked the Prime Minister for his constructive role in the effort on Cyprus to renew negotiations for a settlement.  The Prime Minister noted the launch ceremony for the Boeing 737 Peace Eagle on Friday. The President and Prime Minister spoke about the importance of quickly concluding the normalization agreement with Israel.  The leaders also discussed the need for strong, sustainable, and balanced growth in the global economy, and the President noted the importance of sound policies rooted in the rule of law to reassure the financial markets, nurture a predictable investment environment, strengthen bilateral ties, and benefit the future of Turkey.