President Obama spoke in favor of Turkey's accession into the European Union and urged a greater bond between Americans and Muslims in a speech to the Turkish parliament on Monday.

"Let me say this as clearly as I can. The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical ... in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject," he said.

While Turkey's strategic geographic location elevates it regionally and internationally, its position at the intersection point of so many worlds generates questions among some of its 70 million citizens about who they are.

In the farming village of Yatir in southeastern Turkey, little has changed over time. Rural areas, especially in the East, are some of the poorest parts of the country. A pilot project is aiming to bring more economic opportunities.

After decades of intermittent negotiations, the divided island Cyprus appears to be in its best position yet to reach an agreement on a reunification plan. Hugh Pope of the International Crisis Group explains.