ANKARA - Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul left Saturday for Saudi Arabia in a bid to convey Turkey's views over recent proposals to find a solution to the Middle East problem.
Gul told reporters before his departure that he would meet Saudi King Abdallah and his counterpart Saud Al Faysal.
Responding to a question whether there was a disagreement between state institutions over recent a debate about getting into contact with the Kurdish administration in the north of Iraq, Gul said that the debate should be considered as "part of a bigger whole."
"This issue should not be used as part of a mere political discussion especially at a time when Turkey faced a major problem regarding Iraq," he said.
"When it is necessary, certain things should be talked face to face in order to get different Iraqi groups in the right direction," Gul added.
"We cannot turn a blind eye on Iraq. The situation there is a major concern to Iraq's neighbors as well as to its people," Gul noted. "Iraq's integrity is at stake, which is a great concern for Turkey."