TURKEY-SWITZERLAND MARKS 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
President Abdullah Gul and his visiting Swiss counterpart Pascal Couchepin yesterday attended a ceremony at a historical museum in Ankara along with other high level Turkish and foreign officials as part of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Turkish-Swiss diplomatic relations. Speaking at the ceremony, Couchepin said that Switzerland considered Turkey a strategic partner, and expressed his hope that the cooperation between the two countries would continue. Pointing to his gladness about signing the Treaty of Lausanne that the boundaries of modern Turkey were recognized through, Couchepin underlined that symbols are also important for ties between the two countries. Couchepin said that he brought the table, on which the Treaty of Lausanne was signed, from his country to give as a gift to Turkey. For his part, Gul characterized the table morally "important", and said that this table will be displayed the best way. /Star/
ERDOGAN: "NOBODY HAS POWER TO DIVIDE TURKEY"
Speaking to his Justice and Development Party's (AKP) parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that remarks in his recent visit to Hakkari was misunderstood, adding, "I never use such expression like that 'either love or leave'. Those kinds of discourses belong to the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), not the AKP." Stating that he always emphasized "one nation, one flag, one motherland and one state," he asked, "Is there anyone who opposes that? Nobody has power to divide Turkey." He said that the government places great emphasis on education, and that they opened a university in Hakkari. In related news, speaking his party's extending meeting of provincial heads, Erdogan criticized Democratic Society Party (DTP), asking, "If you tried to overshadow the services, won't you isolate the people living there?" Reiterating that this soil, this country belong all of us, he added that they will help these people relieve from the ignorance. /Star-Aksam/
ERDOGAN TO TRAVEL TO THE US
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will fly to the United States today to attend a meeting of G-20 countries and hold bilateral talks. Erdogan will host a reception in New York to thank the permanent representatives of the United Nations member countries for electing Turkey as a non-permanent member to the U.N. Security Council recently. Erdogan will be accompanied by State Ministers Nazim Ekren and Mehmet Simsek as well as Undersecretary of the Treasury Ibrahim Canakci while attending the meeting of the G-20 countries, comprised of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union. The G-20 meeting will focus on the global economic crisis. /Hurriyet Daily News/
AT HIS PARTY'S GROUP MEETING, BAYKAL SLAMS ERDOGAN
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday stated that Ataturk was commemorated with great enthusiasm throughout Turkey on the 70th anniversary of his death. In his speech at his party's group meeting, Baykal touched on the recent US presidential election, the ongoing Ergekon trial and criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his recent remarks about the Constitutional change. /Cumhuriyet/
MHP'S BAHCELI CALLS FOR CAUTIOUS STANCE TO THE NEW US ADMINISTRATION
At his party's group meeting, opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday started his speech by mentioning Ataturk on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of his death. In his speech, Bahceli criticized those who exaggerated Barak Obama's election as the new US president and accused them of being in an intellectual crisis. Bahceli stated that they were in a prudent optimism about the policies which will be pursued by Obama on the issues regarding Turkey, and that the new administration's approach on the Iraq, Cyprus and Armenian issues are very important for them. "To this end, I think it will be better to stay away from binding engagements with the new American administration without actually seeing its new approach in fields that closely concern Turkey," he said. /Cumhuriyet/
US AMBASSADOR WILSON BIDS FAREWELL TO TURKEY
Out-going US Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson bade farewell to members of the diplomatic community and government officials at a large gathering in Ankara late Monday. "My family and I had very good time in Ankara. I will never lose my interest in Turkey," he said in his brief remarks. Wilson will leave Turkey next week for Washington D.C. He bade farewell to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Monday and to Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan yesterday. Wilson was appointed to Turkey in 2005 and his first task was to repair the damaged ties between the two allies. James Jeffrey, who previously served in Turkey on three occasions and speaks Turkish fluently, will replace Wilson. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ITALY'S BERLUSCONI: "WE CANNOT IMAGINE THE EU WITHOUT TURKEY"
The First Intergovernmental Summit between Turkey and Italy will begin today in Izmir. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will chair the meeting that will be attended by many ministers from the two countries' governments. During the event, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan are expected to sign an agreement to establish a Turkish-Italian university in Istanbul. Speaking to Sabah daily yesterday in Rome prior to his departure to Izmir, Berlusconi said that Turkey and Italy enjoy good political and economic relations, characterizing Turkey as one of the most important European partners of his country. Supporting Turkey's EU accession bid, Berlusconi warned European leaders that excluding Turkey from the union would be an inexcusable mistake. "The EU is the natural destination of Turkish democracy. We cannot imagine the EU without Turkey. Turkey has a secular state organization with a predominantly Muslim population. It is the most important example that Islam can be in conformity with secular and democratic institutions. Turkey's this character is a great advantage for the union." Declaring yourself Turkey's advocate in the EU, Berlusconi dismissed any alternative for Turkey's full membership bid, and expressed his expectation that negotiations on the half of the frozen eight chapters would restart by the next year's June. On the Cyprus issue, he said, "Starting of comprehensive negotiations on the issue is a very positive step. Of course there are some problems and primarily Greek Cypriots should make efforts to solve those problems. Italy will do its part to contribute to the solution within the frame of the UN and EU." /Sabah/
TUZMEN STRESSES NEW MARKETS' IMPORTANCE FOR TURKEY AT A TIME OF GLOBAL CRISIS
Speaking at the Fourth Turkquality Vision Seminar, State Minister for Foreign Trade Kursad Tuzmen said yesterday that Turkey should focus on exporting high added value products and creating new brands to secure high-level market segments. Stating that Turkey's foreign trade enjoyed a remarkable growth trend for the last seven years, Tuzmen stressed that expanding new markets in foreign trade and good management are of great importance for Turkey during the current global crisis. He said that Turkey's exports to new markets were rising in recent years thanks to the government's policy aiming to raise market diversification, adding that export/import coverage ratio will be 70 percent by several months. /Turkiye/
FINAL WAR VETERAN DIES
The last surviving Turkish veteran of the Independence War (1919-1923) died yesterday in Istanbul at the age of 105. Mustafa Sekip Birgol joined the Turkish national forces following his graduation from Edirne Kuleli Military School. He retired from the army as colonel in 1952. Birgol will be laid to rest on Friday in Istanbul. Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug is also expected to attend his funeral. President Abdullah Gul issued a message on Sekip's demise, saying that all soldiers fought during the nation's Independence War had a very special place in the nation's heart. "We all protect our country with the same will and determination forever," said Gul. /Hurriyet/