PM ERDOGAN TO VISIT ATHENS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Athens later this month as the guest of his Greek counterpart Costas Karamanlis to attend the opening ceremony of the New Acropolis Museum. During the June 20-21 visit, Erdogan and Karamanlis are also expected to have bilateral talks. /Cumhuriyet/

NATO'S SCHEFFER PAYS FAREWELL VISITS IN ANKARA
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, set to hand over his post to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Aug. 1, yesterday paid farewell visits in Ankara. Meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Scheffer said NATO's new strategy plan calls for the establishment of a "wise man group" and that they want Turkey to take an active role in the group. Scheffer also met with Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug and President Abdullah Gul. /Milliyet/

BYEGM CELEBRATES ITS 89TH ANNIVERSARY
The 89th anniversary of the Directorate General of Press and Information (BYEGM) was marked yesterday with an official reception at its headquarters in Balgat, Ankara. Attending the reception were Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) head Ibrahim Sahin, BYEGM acting Director General Salih Melek, Anatolia News Agency head Hilmi Bengi, Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) head Musa Kulaklikaya, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman for Promotion and Media Affairs Edibe Sozen, members of the media, many distinguished guests, and BYEGM staff. As part of the anniversary celebrations, an exhibit of photos from BYEGM's nearly 90-year history was also inaugurated by Arinc, along with a media awards ceremony, where top local Turkish journalists got their prizes from Arinc, Melek and other top officials. Speaking at the ceremony, Arinc stressed the importance placed by the government on improving Turkey's local press, adding that they would continue to support the local media. He also said the upcoming webpage of the Union of News Agencies Using Turkish will bring together various Turkic dialects from across the world. Also speaking at the ceremony, Melek said that BYEGM would continue to serve national and international media members as well as the local press by continually improving the quality and volume of its services. A revamped version of the directorate's official webpage, www.byegm.gov.tr, was also posted yesterday. BYEGM was established on June 7, 1920 at the order of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, to promote worldwide the Turkish people's rightful struggle for independence. Since then, the directorate has assumed the important responsibility of promoting Turkey and its national interests to international audiences by providing timely and accurate information. It has also brought foreign views of Turkey and Turkish-related issues to domestic audiences, thus helping to establish and improve two-way communication and dialogue between Turkey and other countries, and reshape and develop Turkey's communication efforts towards the international public. /Turkiye/

GOV'T TO STRENGTHEN EU SECRETARIAT TO STEP UP REFORMS
As part of its attempt to speed up reform efforts towards EU membership, the government plans to remarkably strengthen Turkey's Secretariat General for EU Affairs (ABGS) with new staff and full authorization in all EU-related matters. Under the plan, the ABGS will have an overseas organization, and six EU counselors will be employed in foreign offices of the Secretariat General. Most of the new personnel to be hired by the ABGS will be appointed as assistant specialists for EU affairs. Also four new deputy secretary generals will be employed, and the secretary general of the ABGS will be given ambassadorial rank during his term of office. To streamline the negotiation process with the EU, the ABGS will have a centralized role in conducting accession talks with the Union. State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU Talks Egemen Bagis will assume a key role to steer the negotiation process. /Turkiye/

ROTH: "TURKEY, WHICH VALUES DEMOCRACY AND THE RULE OF LAW, ALWAYS HAS A PLACE IN THE EU"
Turkey, which values democracy and the rule of law, always has an equal place within the European Union, said German-Turkish Interparliamentary Friendship Group Chair Claudia Roth yesterday. Speaking about Sunday's European Parliament elections with Cem Ozdemir, the co-chair of Germany's Greens Party, Roth told reporters that the better showing for ultranationalist and right-wing parties could hinder Turkey's EU bid. "But we'll never deviate from this point of view," he added. /Star/

16TH GOLDEN COCOON FILM FESTIVAL STARTING TODAY
The 16th Golden Cocoon Film Festival is set to start today in Adana and last through Sunday. Many actors, directors and producers are expected to attend the opening ceremony. The festival features categories for national feature-length films as well as national and international film competitions, and top Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan will serve on its jury. /Star/