ISTANBUL - Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc left for Hungary on Wednesday as the official guest of his Hungarian counterpart Katalin Szili.
Holding a press conference at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport prior to his departure, Arinc said, ''we will pay a visit to Hungary as the guest of Hungarian Parliament Speaker Szili. Turkey-Hungary Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Berhan Simsek from the Republican People's Party (CHP), some deputies and bureaucrats will accompany me during the visit.''
''During our meeting with Szili, we will review relations between Turkish and Hungarian parliaments. We will seek opportunities to further improve and deepen these relations. We will also discuss measures to be taken to improve political, cultural and economic relations between Turkey and Hungary. Also, integration of Europe and Atlantic and roles of our parliaments in this process will be taken up,'' he said.
Pointing out that had not been any political problems between Turkey and Hungary, Parliament Speaker Arinc said, ''we have perfect cultural relations with Hungary. However, we should exert more efforts to further improve our economic and commercial cooperation by taking into consideration current potentials of our countries.''
Recalling that there had been historical and friendly ties between Turkish and Hungarian peoples, Arinc told reporters, ''Turkey and Hungary have been mutually protecting cultural heritages of each other. Memories of Hungarian national heroes have been kept in provinces of Izmit, Kutahya and Tekirdag.''
''We will also pay visits to Pecz and Szekesfervar in southern part of Hungary. We will have the opportunity to visit our joint cultural heritage of the Ottoman era in these cities. This special dimension of our countries based on mutual respect and traditional tolerance, constitutes an important model to many countries. I believe that our visit will accelerate improving relations between Turkey and Hungary in every field,'' he said.
Parliament Speaker Arinc is scheduled to meet with President Ferenc Madl of Hungary, Acting Prime Minister Peter Kiss and members of Hungary-Turkey Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group.
(UK-AÖ) 25.06.2003