Those paying close attention to Turkey in Washington must be confounded. What are they to understand from a White House statement and a letter written by 84 people, some of them world-renowned, to President Barack Obama about Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey?

Those reading these two texts on the same topic may have problems about how are they to read and interpret them. Not only those living in Washington, but those who are interested in the United States and Turkey and read the two texts via the Internet will also have problems reaching conclusions.

Obama spoke by telephone with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Wednesday. Normally, that would be considered routine, because the Turkish prime minister long enjoyed the reputation of being the foremost leader that Obama spent time with on the telephone. That was, until the Istanbul Gezi Park events erupted in the summer of 2013. Only two weeks before the Gezi events, Erdogan was received with the highest protocol in Washington. However, after Gezi all that became history. A chilly encounter followed at the G-20 meeting in St. Petersburg on Sept. 5-6, 2013, and a brief phone conversation, once.

The significance of the last event was that it was the first time since the graft scandal erupted. Reuters reported that they discussed regional issues but also stressed the importance of Turkey’s democratic stability.