Will Froman and De Gucht Talk Turkey?
By Baris Ornarli United States Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht are meeting in Washington this week to take stock of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations to date. They will assess progress made in the first three rounds of negotiations and provide political guidance on how best to move forward. The stocktaking meeting also provides an opportunity for the U.S. and EU to discuss the unique position of Turkey – an important American and European ally…
Psaki: “We are confident” that Turkish protests didn’t affect the U.S.-Turkey relationship in terms of dialogue
In response to a question on whether she was confident the ongoing protests in Turkey affected U.S-Turkey relations, Spokesperson Jen Psaki responded “we are confident.” Read the full excerpt of the State Department’s Daily Press Briefing below:
State Department encourages Turkish officials to “refrain from unhelpful rhetoric and unhelpful comments”
On June 6, Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Turkey: “Our focus is continuing to urge calm in the country. A number of government officials have done that and we have seen and commended their efforts to do that. We remain supportive, of course, of peaceful protest and of freedom of speech that individuals are exerting in the country, and just would encourage any official there to refrain from unhelpful rhetoric and unhelpful comments that will not help calm the actions that are…
USDA Trade Mission Aims to Create Opportunities for U.S. Agriculture in Turkey
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that Acting Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse is leading a mission to promote U.S. agricultural exports to Turkey, this week. Representatives from Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania, as well as 20 U.S. companies are participating. According to , Turkey has become an important market for U.S. food and agricultural products over the past decade with its rapidly developing economy and expanding middle class. During the mission, the USDA delegation will travel to Istanbul and…
Psaki: The Secretary and Foreign Minister have a very positive working relationship
Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki discussed the June 4 phone conversation between Secretary John Kerry and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Reiterating the positive working relationship between the two, Psaki said “they spoke quite a bit, of course, about Syria and moving forward. But they also talked about the Secretary’s concerns, ongoing concerns about the situation on the ground, and he also welcomed the update on efforts to calm the situation on the ground that some officials have called for.” The State Department continued to…