US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta arrived Thursday in "key ally" Turkey from Iraq, for an official visit that will focus on the developments in the Middle East, especially Syria.
"It's important for us to work closely with Turkey at this critical time," Panetta told reporters shortly before his arrival in Ankara for the two-day visit.
The discussions between Panetta and Turkish officials will "focus on the turmoil and the change sweeping the immediate neighbourhood and the increasingly close collaboration that... (US) had with Turkey in supporting the transition in Iraq, Egypt, Libya and also confronting the (Syrian) regime," a senior US official said.
Panetta is scheduled to meet with Turkish defence minister Ismet Yilmaz on Thursday night and President Abdullah Gul on Friday.
"They can have an influence on what happens in Egypt, what happens in Iraq, in Iran, what happens in Syria - they've already taken a strong position to demand that (president Bashar al) Assad steps down," Panetta said, praising Turkey's foreign policy in the region.
Panetta flew to Turkey after a visit to neighboring Iraq where he attended a ceremony in Baghdad marking the end of the US mission in this country after eight years of war.
As the US withdraws from Iraq, it has repositioned four Predator drones in Turkey, as a gesture to its strategic ally in its fight against the Kurdish rebels, which usually use northern Iraqi soil to launch attacks against Turkey. The US, EU and Turkey blacklists PKK as a terrorist organization.
The United States is also concerned about the soaring ties between Turkey and Israel.
After Israeli commandos killed nine Turks onboard a flag ship of a flotilla bound to Gaza Strip last year, the relations between one-time close allies Turkey and Israel plunged into crisis.
"Our view is that it's in the strategic interest of both Turkey and Israel to repair their relations. We're ready to play a constructive role in bringing them together although ultimately both sides will have to make the political decisions necessary to normalize their relations," the senior official said.
Copyright 2011 AFP American Edition
