AK Party Deputy Chairman of External Affairs Suat KINIKLIOGLU organized a working lunch titled “Turkish – American Relations from the Perspective of Europe” on March 11, 2009 in which representatives of The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) participated.

The luncheon held at the TGNA’s Members’ Restaurant was attended by Prime Minister Erdogan’s Personal Assistant Dr. Serdar Cam, Prime Minister Erdogan’s Chief Advisor Dr. Savas Barkcin, the President of SETA Foundation Dr. Ibrahim Kalin, General Secretariat of European Union National Program Department Head Nilgun Arisan Eralp, King's College London University Defense Studies Department and  English Defense Academy Lecturer Prof. Bill Park, Istanbul Bilgi University Department of International Relations Former Professor, Independent Researcher/Analyst  Dr. Gareth Winrow, Royal United Services Institute International Security Studies Director Dr. Jonathan Eyal, Embassy of the UK, Military Attaché Colonel Richard Robinson, and Embassy of the UK Political Section Catherine Barnes.

In the meeting, the status of the US in Afghanistan and the role of Turkey within the scope of NATO were discussed and the necessity of a political solution in Afghanistan was underlined.

The ongoing Cyprus talks were also dealt with in the same luncheon during which KINIKLIOGLU emphasized the uncompromising attitude of the Greek Cypriot side. He said “the implications of failure to conclude an agreement must be clearly explained to the Greek Cypriots and pressure must be exerted in this respect. One of the basic and easiest methods of this is the declaration by the United States and United Kingdom to the Greek side that they will ease the international isolation of the TRNC if no agreement is reached.”