[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 1 (Monday, January 14, 2008)]
[Pages 35-36]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With President Abdullah Gul of Turkey

January 8, 2008

    President Bush. It's been my honor to welcome the President of 
Turkey here. Mr. President, I'm glad you're here. This is not his first 
trip to Washington. I can remember many a time you sitting in the Oval 
Office as the Foreign Minister, and now you come representing the--
representing a great strategic partner as its President.
    Turkey is a strategic partner of the United States. Relations 
between the United States and Turkey are important for our country. And 
we have worked hard to make them strong, and I believe they are strong. 
We deal with common problems.
    One such problem is our continuing fight against a common enemy, and 
that's terrorists and such a common enemy as the PKK. It's an enemy to 
Turkey; it's an enemy to Iraq; and it's an enemy to people who want to 
live in peace. The United States is--along with Turkey, are confronting 
these folks. And we will continue to confront them for the sake of 
peace.
    I strongly believe that Europe will benefit with Turkey as a member 
of the European Union. I have held this position ever since I've been 
the President. I feel it as strongly today as when I first articulated 
it. I think Turkey sets a fantastic example for nations around the world 
to see where it's possible to have a democracy coexist with a great 
religion like Islam. And that's important. I view Turkey as a bridge 
between Europe and the Islamic world, a constructive bridge. And so I 
believe it's in the interests of peace that Turkey be admitted into the 
EU.
    We talked about energy and the need for all of us to help secure 
more energy supplies. We talked about--I'm about to brief the President 
on my trip to the Middle East. I know he's deeply concerned about 
whether or not it's possible to achieve a two-state solution in the 
Middle East. I believe it is, and I'm looking forward to sharing the 
strategy.
    All in all, we've had a very constructive conversation, and that's 
what you'd expect when you're--when two friends are in the room 
together.
    So, Mr. President, thank you for coming, and welcome.
    President Gul. Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to thank the 
President for his invitation here. Turkey and the United States are 
longstanding allies, and the relationship between our two countries 
continue to be strengthened. We have a--we share a common vision, and we 
work together. And the relations between the two countries are such that 
they have an impact not only on the two countries but also on a regional 
and global scale.
    Our relations are important, and we will continue to work together 
to ensure that peace, stability, and prosperity continue to grow around 
the world. And we are also working against our common enemy, the PKK, 
and we have once again underlined the importance of our cooperation in 
fighting against the PKK. And I would like to thank the President for 
his determination, as well, on this regard.
    As the President has said, we have discussed some other important 
issues such as energy and the issues with respect to the Middle East. 
The President is engaged very

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much in efforts to ensure peace in the Middle East, and we believe that 
these are important efforts which can yield results.
    We've also discussed Iraq, and we will continue to discuss issues 
such as Iraq, the Balkans, and other issues. And I would like to thank 
the President for this meeting very much.
    President Bush. Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 11:54 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. President Gul spoke in Turkish, and his remarks were translated 
by an interpreter.