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.