DAVUTOGLU TO VISIT AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is set to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan next week to discuss the regional issues. He will also pay a visit to Iraq in upcoming days to hold bilateral talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari. /Aksam/
BASBUG ADDRESSES ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF TURKISH-AMERICAN COUNCIL IN WASHINGTON
Speaking at the opening dinner of the 28th Annual Conference of the Turkish-American Council (ATC) in Washington on Monday, Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug praised bilateral ties between Turkey and the US, saying that these ties have been built on the shared values and interests of both nations, which are also deeply rooted and historical. "Our relations are very comprehensive, which cannot be limited to one specific issue. Two friendly nations need each other, and cooperation should be based on mutual confidence," Basbug said. He also met with Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the sidelines of the conference. /Hurriyet/
GREEK COMMANDER KARAMALIKIS VISITS NAVAL FORCES COMMANDER ATAC
Greek Naval Forces Commander Adm. George Karamalikis paid a visit to his Turkish counterpart Metin Atac. Afterwards, Atac said that they had discussed ways to boost peace in the Aegean Sea. "I'm sure that new initiatives and the dialogue process will contribute to the solution of problems between the two countries," he added. /Turkiye/
SYMPOSIUM HELD ON TURKISH-IRANIAN RELATIONS
Iran's Ambassador to Ankara Bahman Huseyinpur yesterday said that the mutual realization by both parties of shared short- and long-term interests marks a new phase in the relationship between Iran and Turkey. Speaking at the 6th Symposium on Turkish-Iranian Relations, held at Ankara's Surmeli Hotel, Huseyinpur said that Turkey and Iran were both strong regional players with their own goals and targets. /Hurriyet Daily News/
TURKEY-WORLD TRADE BRIDGE 2009 OPENS IN ISTANBUL
The Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists' (TUSKON) Turkey-World Trade Bridge 2009 opened its doors yesterday with a grand inauguration ceremony in Istanbul with the attendance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan and numerous trade ministers from across the world. Speaking at the opening of the event, Premier Erdogan praised TUSKON for initiating the trade bridge at a time of global economic crisis which had negative impacts on the world trade. Nearly 3,200 businessmen from Turkey and 2,300 others from 135 countries will evaluate the chances of establishing trade deals with each other during the three-day summit. The event is expected to directly contribute to Turkey's economy with an increase of more than $7 billion in trade. 455 companies from the construction and real estate sectors, 376 from the agricultural sector and 209 from the food and beverage industry are exhibiting at the trade bridge. Other major fields include chemicals, energy, electronics, computer software and hardware, furniture, textiles, jewelry and precious stones. Following the ceremony, a panel discussion entitled "The Future of Global Trade: Opportunities and New Possibilities for Cooperation" was held. /Sabah/
ISTANBUL TEXTILE FAIR TO HOST LEADING FIRMS
The TUYAP Fair and Congress Center in Istanbul will host the International Textile Machinery (ITM) 2009 exhibition set to begin on Saturday. Some 1,500 companies from 37 countries are expected to participate in this year's event. The event is held every three years. The ITM 2006 has hosted 1,200 companies from 35 countries and more than 70,000 visitors. /Hurriyet Daily News/