CHICAGO - Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said that Turkey was one of the countries wishing Iraq to have calm and stability, noting that the status quo of Kirkuk should not be changed.
Gul attended Turkish festival and met representatives of Turkish community in Chicago on Sunday.
Answering questions on Kirkuk and the condition of Turkmens, Gul noted, ''Turkey is one of countries wishing calm and stability be secured, elections be held and a political will appear in Iraq. Iraq is our neighbor and we have relatives there. Turkmens, Kurds are our relatives; even some Arabs are our relatives. Thus, everyone should be in peace.''
Stressing that Kirkuk, which had oil reserves, was a critical city, Gul recalled that resources of Iraq belonged to all Iraqi people.
''The status quo in Kirkuk is very important in that respect. When security is under threat, there could be some provocations. Even if there are some people looking to start a (civil) war, the status quo of Kirkuk should not be changed. This is our very sincere demand aiming to bring peace to Iraq,'' he noted.
When a participant said that the European Union (EU) assumed an attitude to weaken the Turkish army, Gul said, ''I don't think so. TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) is our pride. We are proud of our army's might. We cannot put at risk our security.'' Stating that they wished Turkey to have relations between military and civilian authorities like in the EU and the United States, Gul noted that ''they gave priority to make TSK more powerful and modern''.
When asked whether or not the EU and the United States were alternatives to each other, Gul said, ''they are not.''
Recalling that U.S. President George Bush worked hard for the EU (i.e. to assure Turkey's adherence to the EU) and carried out lobby activities, Gul said, ''we will always remember the United States' support. I hope we will start entry negotiations with the EU without any pre-condition or hindrance.'' Gul said that both Turkey and the United States were aware of values of each other, and that the two countries shared common values including democracy, human rights, free market economy and pluralism. Gul stressed that Turkey wanted to deepen and develop its relations with the United States as well.
Answering a question on brain drain (exodus of intellectuals) from Turkey to abroad, Gul said that they should make Turkey an attractive country to prevent brain drain, stressing that they would reach this goal through putting reforms into force.
Foreign Minister Gul will proceed to New York to participate UN General Assembly today.
(EÖ-ULG) 20.09.2004