ANKARA - Italian Ambassador to Turkey Vittorio Claudio Surdo hosted on Wednesday a farewell reception as his term in office in Ankara will end on January 18.
Surdo who delivered a speech at the reception said that Turkish-Italian relations further improved during his term in office in Turkey.
Stating that there were very good developments in Turkey during his assignment in Ankara for four and a half years, Surdo said that he saw a country which developed social society and which fulfilled important reforms with determination of recent government and contribution of nongovernmental organizations. Surdo said that he would follow closely developments in Turkey.
National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Justice Minister and Government Spokesman Cemil Cicek, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, New Turkey Party (YTP) leader Ismail Cem, Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Mehmet Dulger, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy Egemen Bagis, Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission Chairman Mehmet Elkatmis and Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Kemal Dervis also attended the reception.
Surdo has served as Italy's ambassador in Ankara since July 1999. His term in office in Ankara will end on January 18, 2004.
(EÖ-AÖ) 07.01.2004