Biden's visit could be good start for future Turkey-US ties

It's clear that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden deliberately decided to spare his Friday for issues of serious concerns abroad on the future of Turkish democracy, the rule of law and human rights. 

A roundtable meeting with nine parliamentarians closely involved with the Kurdish question was followed by another meeting bringing together civil society activists and a number of prominent journalists like Kadri Gürsel and Asl? Ayd?nta?ba?, who have lost their jobs because of their critical stances. While the first group brought together Leyla Zana, Galip Ensario?lu, Orhan Miro?lu, and Sezgin Tanr?kulu, among others, the latter welcomed the wives of slain Armenian-Turkish journalistHrant Dink and Kurdish activist Tahir Elçi. 

Biden's message is as clear as possible. The U.S. is continuing to pay attention to Turkey's democracy and will continue to pressure the government at times when fundamental principles and universal freedoms are violated. It should be remembered that U.S. Ambassador to Ankara John Bass sensitively and closely follows developments in this regard and does not hesitate to make public statements when necessary. 

It was Bass who expressed Washington's concerns after journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül were arrested, as well as after a campaign was launched against academics who signed a petition calling on the government to cease its operations in southeast Turkey. 

So it could well be said that the first message delivered by Biden on his current visit to Turkey is the need to respect fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press. 

The second message of Biden's Friday meetings was not so different from the first. While acknowledging Turkey's right to fight against the Kurdistan...