US president Barack Obama has declared that his country “is not and will never be at war with Islam". Addressing the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Obama said he held a "deep appreciation for the Islamic faith". Obama, who was on his first visit as US president to a Muslim country, said earlier that the US and Turkey could forge a "model partnership" that bridged the religious and cultural divide between the Western and the Muslim worlds. He also publicly voiced support for Turkey’s membership in the European Union.
Obama also said that the United States sought engagement with Iran based on mutual interests and respect.
He warned that no-one was served by the proliferation of nuclear weapons. "This part of the world has known enough violence. It has known enough hatred. It does not need a race for ever-more powerful tools of destruction.” The US president stated that peace would prevail "if Tehran forgoes any nuclear ambitions." He underlined that the US "want Iran to play its rightful role in the community of nations, with the economic and political integration that brings prosperity and security. Now, Iran’s leaders must choose whether they will try to build a weapon or build a better future for their people."
