US President George Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan set aside two years of tension over the war in Iraq today and declared their strategic relationship strong.
Mr Bush praised Turkey's democracy as an example for the Middle East and a White House spokesman said Erdogan could expect continued US help in stopping Kurdish militants who come from Iraq to attack Turkey.
"They had a constructive meeting that was aimed at really reinvigorating the strategic partnership that we have with Turkey," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Mr Erdogan said he and Mr Bush discussed Iraq but neither gave specific details.
"We went beyond issues standing until today and focused on what we can do from this point forward," he told a news conference after a meeting with Mr Bush that lasted more than an hour.
Speaking through an interpreter in an Oval Office appearance with the president, Mr Erdogan said he and the US president "looked into the future with regard to our relations."
Mr Bush thanked the Turkish prime minister for his support in building democracy in Afghanistan and for his efforts on behalf of the Palestinians to create an independent state.
Turkey's ties with the United States were strained after Ankara blocked American troops from crossing Turkish soil to open a northern front for the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Bush administration officials also have expressed concern about Turkey's rapprochement with neighboring Syria and Iran, both of which are on the US State Department's list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
"Turkey and the United States have an important strategic relationship," Bush said. "Turkey's democracy is an important example for people in the broader Middle East."
McClellan said Mr Bush and his counterpart had "a good discussion" about how to deal with what Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul called the urgent problem of Kurdish militants crossing the border with Iraq to carry out attacks in Turkey.
"We do cooperate to a certain degree on intelligence but we do not view this as being sufficient. We want this to be developed and moved forward," Mr Erdogan told reporters later.
More than 30,000 people, mainly Kurds, have been killed since 1984 when the PKK began its armed campaign for an independent homeland in southeastern Turkey.