TURKEY WON'T TAKE ANY STEPS THAT WOULD HARM AZERBAIJAN, GUL ASSURES AZERI DEPUTIES
At the Cankaya Presidential Palace yesterday, President Abdullah Gül received a group of Azeri women deputies now visiting Ankara to express concern over the possible normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations. During the meeting, Gül said Turkey has always stood by Azerbaijan and will continue to do so, assuring them that Turkey will not open its border with Armenia before the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is solved. Echoing late Azeri President Haidar Aliyev, Gül called Turkey and Azerbaijan one nation with two states, adding that Turkey will not open its border with Armenia unless Turkey's expectations are met. Underlining the importance of Turkish-Azeri fellowship, Gül said this guarantees that Turkey will not take any steps which would harm Azerbaijan. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev's Advisor Rena Mirzazade, who led the group during their talks in Ankara, said that before Turkey opens its border with Armenia, Yerevan should withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani territory it is occupying. "We know that Turkey is on our side in our rightful quest and will never abandon us," she said. In related news, speaking to reporters in Yerevan on the sidelines of the 20th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mamadguliyev said that solving problems between Turkey and Armenia should be tied to solving the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He added that Azeris believe Turkey will protect their interests. /Turkiye/
BABACAN: "WE WANT A SOLUTION IN WHICH TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA ARE ALL WINNERS"
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday attended the 20th meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Yerevan, Armenia, amidst debate in both Turkey and Azerbaijan over Turkey's efforts to normalize relations with Armenia. On the sidelines of the meeting, Babacan spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mamadguliyev. Babacan and Lavrov discussed regional and international issues such as the Middle East, Iran's nuclear program, problems between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Caucasus. During the meeting, Babacan said Turkey places great importance on the Minsk process and will continue to support it. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group and Minsk Process was created in 1992 by the then Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) to encourage a peaceful solution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia invaded the Azeri territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in 1993. Yesterday Babacan and Mammadguliyev took up issues related to the BSEC during their meeting. At a four-party meeting attended by Lavrov, Babacan also spoke with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian. During this meeting, Babacan reportedly stressed the importance of simultaneous solving the problems among Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, adding that reaching a comprehensive solution between Turkey and Armenia would be very difficult without solving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue between Azerbaijan and Armenia. At the end of yesterday's meeting, Armenia handed over the BSEC term presidency to Azerbaijan. In related news, en route to Yerevan, Babacan told reporters that Turkey sees relations between it and Armenia from a broad perspective. "Turkey wants a solution in which everybody is a winner," he added. "We want Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan to win." He also said Ankara is seeking comprehensive and complete normalization in the region, not a partial one. "We don't say, 'Let's first solve one problem and later solve another one '," he added. "We want a similar process to start between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We're closely watching the talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia." /Sabah/
TALAT URGES OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO APPOINT SPECIAL ENVOY TO CYPRUS
The new Obama administration's approach to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) had been particularly warm, said TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday. Speaking to reporters about his meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Talat stressed that Turkish Cypriots didn't have a problem with the Bush administration. "The TRNC urged the US administration to appoint a special envoy to Cyprus," he added. /Star/
NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER VISITS TOPTAN
Norwegian Parliament Speaker Thorbjon Jagland yesterday visited his Turkish counterpart Koksal Toptan. During the meeting, Jagland reportedly sought Turkey's support for his bid to become secretary general of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). /Hurriyet Daily News/
MAY 1 EXPECTED TO BECOME OFFICIAL HOLIDAY
After being passed by Parliament's Interior Commission, a bill to make May 1 an official holiday seems set to become law. The full Parliament is expected to pass the measure next week. If it passes, the number of national holidays will rise to 14.5 days. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Celik said May Day should not be a day of conflict. "It would enrich our democracy to celebrate May Days with the participation of all," Celik said. /Hurriyet /
CHINESE AIR FORCE COMMANDER VISITS ANKARA
Qiliang Xu, the commander of China's Air Force, yesterday paid a visit to his Turkish counterpart Gen. Aydogan Babaoglu. Before the meeting, Babaoglu expressed pleasure at the strengthening of relations between the two countries through mutual visits. "We're evaluating the possibilities for mutual activities. We're meeting to determine how such possibilities can be solidified," he said. For his part, Xu said that the talks aimed to strengthen friendly relations between the Chinese military and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). /Today's Zaman/
F-16 PILOT LAID TO REST
The funeral of F-16 jet pilot Lt. Fatih Korcam, who died in a crash Wednesday near Mustafakemalpasa, Bursa in northwestern Turkey, was held yesterday at Ankara's Kocatepe Mosque. Among those who attended the ceremony were President Abdullah Gul, Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug, Interior Minister Besir Atalay, military commanders, and the officer's friends and family. /Star/
TURKEY HEADS FOR MAJOR PARTICIPATION AT INDUSTRY FAIR IN GERMANY'S HANNOVER
One hundred ninety-two companies will represent Turkey at this year's Hannover Messe, one of the world's leading showcases for industrial technology, seeking opportunities for partnerships amidst the gloomy atmosphere of the ongoing global financial crisis. The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (yTO) will also be participating in the fair, scheduled for April 20-24 in Hannover, Germany, and will be providing support for and organizing the activities of the Turkish companies in attendance. The fair hosts a partner country as a guest of honor every year. Turkey played this role in 2007, followed by Japan in 2008. This year's special partner is South Korea. Stressing that this is a very important fair, ITO head Murat Yalcintas told reporters yesterday that Turkish companies have proven that they have enough competitive power and skill to compete in the global arena. "Turkish firms first came to the Hannover fair in the 1950s as visitors, and we have now been attending as participants for many years. We achieved considerable success in 2007 as the partner country, having made our mark with some 326 firms representing Turkey. We expect to see a similar achievement this year and to develop partnerships with companies from different parts of the world," he noted. Yalcintas said this year's fair will be a reminder that Turkish companies have not lost their spirit of entrepreneurship despite any problems due to the economic crisis. /Today's Zaman/