Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked U.S. President-elect Barack Obama to support Turkey in its fight against terrorism and to refrain from backing the Armenian Genocide recognition campaign once he takes over the post from George W. Bush.

"I sincerely congratulate Barack Obama and his team who won the elections. Turkey and the United States, as two allies that have very strong relations, have been supporting each other for more than half a century," the Turkish PM said in his speech at Columbia University in New York. "Turkey is determined to continue the close cooperation with Obama's administration. Naturally, we expect it to take into consideration our sensitivities on issues that are of vital importance to us."

Erdogan said U.S. sensitivity over these issues is important for the future of Turkey-U.S. relations, Today's Zaman reports.