Turkey, US should be closer: TOBB head

WASHINGTON

CİHAN photo

Turkey and the United States should ally closer in security and military terms to overcome violence in the Middle East, said Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu at an annual meeting of the American-Turkish Council (ATC) in Washington.

“We need this alliance for our countries, for a better Middle East and for a more secure world,” he said. 

Saying a global coalition needs to be built against all kinds of terrorism, including attacks by the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and others, he noted that violent acts and killings must end. 

“The refugee crisis is a natural result of the escalating violence. Turkey has been one of the worst affected from the refugee crisis, along with Jordan and Lebanon. This problem has recently started to affect Europe, but Europe seems not to be ready to resolve this issue yet. This crisis needs to be the main priority of all countries,” he said. 

Noting that Turkey has been the president of the G-20 this year, he, as the head of the Business-20 (B-20) meetings, put the effects of the changing global system on G-20 countries as well as non-members on this year’s agenda. 

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass and U.S. Senator John McCain also attended the 34th ATC meeting, along with leading politicians and businesspeople.