One thorny issue that will come on agenda of Hillary Clinton's talks in Ankara is whether the Obama administration will recognize the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire and how it might deal with the plans in Congress to revive a resolution describing it as such.

A Turkish official in Washington said the Armenian issue, "which poisoned ties in recent years, would be raised, but Ankara wanted the focus to be on areas of cooperation."

"At this moment, we hope that sound judgment will prevail and that they will keep this issue from being further politicized. I think it is susceptible to distortion," he said.

"Strategically, it is important for the United States to have Turkey on its side. A big question is how much of a distraction this Armenian Genocide issue will be," said Turkey expert Samuel Brannen of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank.

"The administration is aware about Turkish views on this and is thinking about this issue in light of all the factors. There is more to say, but none at present," said the official, on condition of anonymity, Today's Zaman reported.