By Hakan Copur</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – Turkey and the U.S. have developed a good relationship despite a number of issues between the two countries, Turkey’s presidential spokesman said on Sunday. </p> <p>“The U.S.-Turkey relationship has a special place,” Ibrahim Kalin said at a reception held ahead of the 37th annual conference on the U.S.-Turkey relations, organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK), Turkey-U.S. Business Council (TAIK), and American-Turkish Council (ATC), in Washington. </p> <p>“With [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump coming into power, the two presidents have developed a good relationship. They have a good chemistry,” Kalin said. </p> <p>Stating that the two counties have faced a number of issues over the past two years and continued to address the issues, Kalin said friendship of presidents of the two countries has “played a significant role” in preventing the issues from turning into crises. </p> <p>“We have issues to address, no doubt, but I think, it’s these kinds of platforms, meetings and people like you that can provide a venue, a platform to address these issues in a way. That’s based on again shared interests, as well as common values and objectives,” the presidential aide stressed. </p> <p>For his part, Serdar Kilic, Turkey’s Ambassador in Washington, also said that Turkey-U.S. relations have “flourished on the bases of common values, mutual interest, and shared objectives.”</p> <p>“Despite suggestions by some, it is my firm belief that Turkish-American relations are as important and as relevant as ever.”</p> <p>Among the attendees of the reception were Turkey’s National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan as well as numbers of high-ranking officials.</p> <p>This year, the 37th Annual Conference on the U.S.-Turkey relations will be held under the theme of "Back to Business: Maintaining Partnership in Difficult Times." </p> <p>The three-day event will discuss ways to reach a $75 billion bilateral trade target. </p> <p>In February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. counterpart Trump agreed to further enhance economic relations, setting a goal of $75 billion in bilateral trade.
*Writing by Nilay Kar Onum
