U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday for his victory as the country's next president, the White House said. Erdogan vowed to pursue a period of reconciliation in Turkey after securing the post with more than 52 percent of the vote on Sunday. "The president praised the prime minister?s speech on Sunday and **ted that as Turkey?s first directly elected president, the prime minister has an historic opportunity to further move Turkey forward," the White House said in a statement. "The president and prime minister agreed on the importance of close cooperation on Syria and Iraq and the terrorist threat emanating from the region," the White House said.