PRESIDENT GUL, PORTUGAL'S CAVACO OPEN EXHIBIT IN ISTANBUL
At Istanbul's Sakip Sabanci Museum yesterday, President Abdullah Gul and his Portuguese counterpart Anibal Cavaco Silva opened the exhibition "Lisbon: Memories from Another City." Speaking at the opening, Gul said that he was pleased with the occasion and that he hoped the visiting president would leave Turkey with good impression and memories. The exhibit, which shows Lisbon through the works of major Portuguese painters from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, will be open through July 14. /Milliyet/

ERDOGAN REASSURES AZERBAIJAN ON ARMENIAN BORDER
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in Baku. Afterwards, Erdogan told a press conference that Turkey shares Azerbaijan's sensitivity on the Upper Karabakh issue. "Turkey closed its border gates with Armenia because Upper Karabakh was occupied," he added. "As long as Armenia's occupation of Upper Karabakh continues, there is no way Turkey can open its border to Armenia." For his part, Aliyev said that Erdogan's statements had dispelled his fears about the matter. Erdogan also addressed the Azeri Parliament and said, "We have not taken any step which would hurt Azerbaijan's national interests, and we will not. We have never ignored the well-being and interests of the Azeri people, and we will not." /Milliyet/

PM ERDOGAN VISITS POLAND
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday proceeded to Warsaw, Poland after completing his talks in Azerbaijan. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who accompanied Erdogan during his visit to Baku, went separately to Sweden, set to assume the European Union's rotating presidency on July 1. The visit reportedly will focus on accelerating Turkey's EU reform process. /Sabah/

CHIEF NEGOTIATOR BAGIS HOLDS TALKS IN MADRID
State Minister and chief negotiator for Turkey's EU talks Egemen Bagis yesterday held talks with Diego Lopez Garrido, the Spanish Foreign Ministry's secretary of state for the EU, in Madrid, where he attended a summit of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers. Bagis and Garrido exchanged views on Turkey's continuing EU accession talks, the opening of new chapters, and the Cyprus issue. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Bagis said they had a fruitful meeting, calling Spain a friendly country which supports Turkey's EU bid. "We discussed everything frankly and openly, I'm leaving Madrid with positive impressions," he said. Spain is set to take the EU's rotating presidency in the first half of next year. /Turkiye/

PAMUK AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE IN FLORENCE
Florence University, one of Italy's most prestigious universities, yesterday presented an honorary doctorate to Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk for contributing to cultural ties between the two countries. The ceremony presenting the honor included Rector Augusto Marinelli and Dean Franca Pecchioli. Afterwards, speaking to reporters, Pamuk said Turkey's EU process has many dimensions, including cultural and political ones. "I think Turkey's membership carries importance for freedom of expression and democracy," he added. /Milliyet-Sabah/

NEW RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE OFFICE TO WORK TO DISPEL MISUNDERSTANDING OF ISLAM IN EUROPE
Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate next month will open an office in Brussels to educate Europe about Islam, in line with a decision made during Pope Benedict XVI's 2005 visit to Turkey. During the visit, it was decided that Turkey's presence in Europe proves the possibility of Islam and Christianity's peaceful coexistence. It was also concluded that Turkey, with its secular state and Muslim identity, could be a good reference for Muslims living in Europe. In order to block efforts to sow misunderstandings about Islam and stir up Islamophobia in the continent, the directorate decided to open a bureau in the European capital. This decision was also supported by the pope. It is hoped that the office will counter efforts to inflame Islamophobia. Work to make the idea a reality was accelerated in light of the Alliance of Civilizations project, co-chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdodan and his Spanish counterpart, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The bureau, which will work as a research center, will be opened by directorate head Ali Bardakodlu. Its establishment has been closely followed and supported by the European Union. Primarily targeting Turks living in Europe, the office will also organize interfaith dialogue activities. Five secretaries and 30 theologians will be employed in Brussels for these purposes. /Today's Zaman/

TURKEY'S HADISE QUALIFIES FOR EUROVISION FINALS
Hadise, Turkey's contestant for the annual Eurovision Song Contest, qualified for the finals on Tuesday. The 23-year-old Belgian-born Turkish singer and songwriter will take to the stage to present her song "Düm Tek Tek" as the 18th contestant in Saturday's 54th Eurovision in Moscow, where she will face hopefuls from 24 other countries. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel, Iceland, Portugal, Malta, Armenia, Finland, Sweden and Romania also made the final. The second semifinal round will be held tonight to decide the lineup for the 25-song final. Eurovision is one of Europe's most-watched shows, with an audience of at least 100 million viewers, according to Reuters. Turkey has won the contest only once in the contest's history, in 2003 with Sertab Erener's "Everyway That I Can." In related news, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) plans to launch its newest TV station, TRT Music, in June. TRT decided to begin broadcasting TRT Music in response to audience demand after TRT 4, which had focused on Turkish folk and classical music, was changed to TRT Children, airing only children's programming during the day. The new station will broadcast Turkish folk and classical music during primetime, as well as pop, rock, hip hop, Sufi and foreign music. It is described as a music station rather than a music video station. /Today's Zaman/