The new Washington administration said Turkey is "an important player in the South Caucasus and a great friend of the U.S." The friendship covers general and specific issues, including those associated with "supporting Georgia" and resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, ITAR-TASS quoted U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried as saying at a special briefing on Feb. 28. The briefing was devoted to the upcoming second overseas tour of new U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Next week Clinton will visit the Middle East and Europe.
As far as Clinton's visit to Ankara scheduled for March 7 is concerned, Fried said "bilateral relations with Turkey have improved."
"We now have the opportunity to build a genuine, close strategic partnership with Turkey," he added.