ANKARA - Turkey's common expectations and concerns were expressed in the final statement of the Seventh Summit of Heads of State and Government of Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Erdogan, who returned from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Turkey, told reporters that the summit was beneficial for Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said that besides countries like Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro and Romania which were side to the process, Moldova attended the summit as a special guest.
Erdogan stated that Croatia became full member to the Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process upon its own request.
International organizations functioning in the Balkans were also represented in the summit, Erdogan pointed out.
Erdogan noted that Romania took over the term presidency of the Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Turkey had contributions to establishment and development of the process, Erdogan recalled.
Erdogan said that Turkey continued its contributions also during the Sarajevo summit.
Turkey felt deep sorrow and concern over violence which occurred in Kosovo last months, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan expressed Turkey's sincere wish at the summit that those incidents should not overshadow ''Balkan Model'' understanding.
In that way, the Balkans had overcome negative concepts which were mentioned when Balkans was in question and started to be remembered with concepts like 'ethnic harmony, mutual respect and co-existence in peace,' Erdogan quoted himself as saying at the summit.
Erdogan said that he had fruitful meetings with leaders of participating countries and reviewed bilateral relations and further improvement of those relations in those meetings.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan expressed belief that the summit would help further improve economic, commercial, political and cultural relations among member countries.
Erdogan went to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, who met with Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis on Wednesday, said after the meeting that they would always preserve their good will mutually on Cyprus.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis, Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Greek Foreign Minister Petros Moliviatis held a quartet meeting in Sarajevo the same day. During the meeting, Turkish and Greek sides discussed the Cyprus issue and the bilateral relations.
Speaking at the Seventh Summit of Heads of State and Government of Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process, Erdogan said, '' when foundation efforts for the Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process started about eight years ago, today's level of co-operation among the Balkan countries was unimaginable. Today, ongoing reform process and co-operation in our region which was described in the past as the powder keg of Europe, have reached an exemplary level for the other regions in the world.''
Erdogan was received by Presidency Chairman Sulejman Tihic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and met with Prime Minister Adnan Terzic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader of Croatia and Prime Minister Fatos Nano of Albania.
In a press conference with heads of state and government of other participating countries, Erdogan said that the Balkans was no more remembered with negative concepts but remembered with concepts like ''ethnic harmony, mutual respect and co-existence in peace.''
Also, Erdogan said that Turkey wished that Cyprus would become an island of peace and freedom on the basis of ''win-win'' principle.
Erdogan was accompanied by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, deputies and bureaucrats.
The process of co-operation between Southeast European countries was initiated towards the end of the 1980s.
Following the meeting of foreign ministers in Sofia in 1996, a series of meetings took place in Salonica (1997), Istanbul (1998), Bucharest (1999) and Skopje (2000). A practice of informal meetings at the margins of international gatherings was also introduced. The summits were held in Cretes (1997), Antalia (1998), Bucharest (2000) and Skopje (2001). After the democratic changes, the Former Republic of Yugoslavia resumed the activities within the process of cooperation of Southeast European countries to the full extent at the summit in Skopje on 25 October 2000.
The objective of the process is to transform the region into an area of stability, security and co-operation, in harmony with the European integration processes, through the promotion of mutual dialogue and co-operation at all levels and in all fields of common concern. The process of co-operation of Southeast European countries is looked upon by Europe as an important forum for regional cooperation that should ensure stability, political and economic development in the part of the world. It constitutes a necessary element for these countries to be able to get closer to the EU and its institutions as well as to join that organization.
(BRC) 21.04.2004