Holbrooke was speaking with the NTV news channel in İstanbul, where he participated in a ministerial level meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) group. Ahead of his arrival in İstanbul, news reports suggested that he would use his participation in the FoDP meeting as an opportunity to convey the US's demand that additional Turkish troops be sent to Afghanistan.“We believe that Turkey's role in Afghanistan and Pakistan is important, but we also believe that this role will provide good results as it grows,” Holbrooke was quoted as saying by NTV in a report posted on Wednesday. Holbrooke, who recently visited both countries, stressed the strength of cultural and historical ties “The assistance it provides for Afghanistan and the military support is a decision which can only be made by Turkey. Turkey is one of the vital elements of the international efforts in Afghanistan. We are very glad to have been working with Turkey. However, unlike the earlier [US] administrations, we will not ask for some things from people and we won't be telling people what they should do. This is their own decision,” Holbrooke was also quoted as saying.
Speaking to reporters last week, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu reiterated that the United States has conveyed no special demand for Turkey to send extra troops to war-torn Afghanistan. The minister, meanwhile, highlighted that there is a widespread belief that “the US always comes up with new demands, but our [Turkish] officials reject them," and added that this does not reflect the truth. “At the moment, Turkish-American relations are proceeding in an extremely healthy way in regards to consultations. There is full consultation in fields where we have common interests,” he added.
