ANKARA - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said, "we want all problems in Balkans to be solved in a way which will be an example of alliance of civilizations, not clash of civilizations."
Gul hosted a dinner in honor of President of Serbia Boris Tadic at Cankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara on Thursday.
Gul said, "we believe Serbia --which will have an important role in regional stability-- will prefer a solution (for the existing problems in our region) which will contribute to peace and stability as well as serve settlement of a consensus and tolerance culture."
Gul expressed hope that the meeting, which will be held in Istanbul with participation of businessmen of the two countries tomorrow, will open a new period in the aspect of economic cooperation.
Noting that tourism is very important for peoples of the two country to know each other, Gul said that Turkey hosts nearly 200,000 Serbian tourists each year.
On the other hand, Serbian President Tadic said that Turkey and Serbia do not have a border but the two countries are sharing the same interests, adding that it is necessary to undertake a big responsibility to live in this common region.
Tadic said that problems in the region should be solved through peace.
He also said that the biggest problem in Serbia is the status of Kosovo, adding that Serbia wants to live together with its Albanian citizens, and Serbia does not want a war. Tadic called on both Albanian officials and UN representatives to produce solutions. He said that any problem, which will emerge in these lands in the future, may prevent integration of other countries in Balkans with Europe.
Tadic touched on the cooperation and infrastructure activities which are envisaged to strengthen the economic relations between Turkey and Serbia, and wanted visa procedures to be lifted.