Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul announced that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would hold talks with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad on the sidelines of the Ninth ECO Heads of State Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Gul, speaking on the private NTV network, said all participating leaders share a responsibility to support regional stability through diplomatic channels and compromise. He also noted that Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani was expected in Türkiye the following Monday and would receive the same message.
On EU accession, Gul said negotiations on two chapters, covering science and technology and culture and education, were close to opening. He added that screening across 18 chapters had been under way since 3 October, with full completion expected by 13 October, after which talks on multiple chapters were anticipated to begin, with some potentially concluding.
Gul stressed that Türkiye must sustain its reform momentum, with the government targeting passage of a ninth reform package through parliament before the summer recess. He also ruled out any plans for an early general election.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.