President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey last week – towards the end of his first big international trip – paid a handsome compliment to the country’s growing influence in international affairs. Under the administration of George W. Bush, relations between Washington and Ankara slipped badly, not least because Turkey refused to support the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. But Mr Obama’s state visit may have marked a turning point. The US president underlined Turkey’s importance as a bridge between the Islamic world and the west. He made clear that Turkey had a role as a negotiator between Israel and the Arab world. He voiced, too, the hope that Turkey would one day join the European Union.

This last aspiration, of course, prompted another display of anguish from some European leaders. No sooner had Mr Obama spoken than Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, argued that “the immense majority” of EU states opposed Turkey’s accession. Angela Merkel, German chancellor, acknowledged there were huge “differences of opinion” inside her country on Turkey’s EU hopes.