FM DAVUTOGLU VISITS MONTENEGRO
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu over the weekend visited Podgorica, Montenegro as part of his Balkan tour. Speaking to reporters, Davutoglu said that unity is important for progress in the Balkans. Stating that security or welfare either exist everywhere or nowhere at all, Davutoglu stressed that a lack of these in one place affects the whole region. Afterwards, Davutoglu proceeded to Rozaje in the Sandzak region, which is largely populated by Bosnians. Meeting with Rozaje Mayor Nusret Kalac, he said, "The residents of this region are our relatives. We share a common history." Turkey will do whatever it can to improve the region and preserve its cultural identity, he added. /Hurriyet Daily News-Star/
BAGIS: "AS TURKEY REALIZES ITS POWER, THE EU HAS GROWN MORE AWARE OF OUR IMPORTANCE"
Speaking at the Bahcesaray Hidden City Culture and Art Festival in the eastern Anatolia province of Van over the weekend, State Minister and chief negotiator for European Union talks Egemen Bagis said that Turkey is determinedly progressing on its path towards EU full membership, adding that the more Turkey shows self-reliance during this process, the more the EU sees Turkey's importance for solving problems facing the 27-seven member bloc such as energy and its aging labor pool. "Turkey is Europe's sixth-biggest economy and the 17th largest in the world," he added. "As Turkey begins to realize its own power, Europeans also begin to realize the importance of Turkey for the EU's future. When Turkey meets all the conditions for membership, no power can bar Turkey from integrating with the Union." Bagis also touted government efforts to expand the cultural rights of Turkey's citizens of Kurdish origin. "Turkey has been going through a significant transformation in its EU process," he continued. "Turkey has recently reworked its internal dynamics on several matters. We have seen great progress in democratic and cultural rights." He added that Van is among the provinces benefiting from EU funds during Turkey's EU accession. During the festival, Bagis also listened to a reading of poems in Kurdish by a famous local poet. In Van, Bagis also held talks with provincial officials, and took a rafting tour through the city's Mukus stream. /Turkiye-Sabah/
ANKARA SET TO HOST ANTI-TERRORISM MEETING
Ankara will host a meeting tomorrow in line with a trilateral anti-terrorism mechanism established last year by Turkey, Iraq and the US. Tomorrow's meeting is a continuation of an April meeting held in Baghdad with the participation of Interior Minister Besir Atalay. Iraqi Defense Minister Sirvan Al Vaili as well as a high-level military US delegation coming from Baghdad will also attend the meeting, which will be hosted by Atalay. /Cumhuriyet/
ISTANBUL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO HOLD EXPORT FAIR IN QATAR
The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) plans to hold a Turkish export goods fair on Sept. 3-6 in Qatar, in an effort to diversify Turkey's export markets and create new business opportunities. ITO said that more than 200 Turkish companies operating in sectors ranging from furniture to construction, and cosmetics to food, will attend the fair, to be held in a 15,000-square-meter exhibition area. ITO Chairman Murat Yalcintas said they were pleased to be holding a fair with such a wide range of products for the first time in Qatar, which he called the Gulf's rising star. "Qatar has constructed the world's largest science and technology park, it has the largest tanker fleet in the world, and it is home to one of the world's largest natural gas reserves," he said. "There is a need for many infrastructure investments in the country, which has boosted its development over the last decade. Turkish entrepreneurs have an opportunity in Qatar. We believe we will reap the benefits of this fair in the near future." Underlining that the participating firms are pioneers in their field, he also said they also invited successful small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) so they can expand their customer base. He said they will also showcase Turkey's cultural and historical values during the fair, adding, "We hope this fair will strengthen the already-close relationship between our two nations." The ITO first started holding international fairs in 1999 with one in Bahrain. After seeing its benefits, the group later intensified its quest to improve relations with Middle Eastern economies. Later fairs were held in Oman and Kuwait. /Today's Zaman/
PING-PONG BALL BOUNCES BETWEEN CONTINENTS
Traffic on the Bosphorus Bridge was halted for half an hour on Sunday morning, but this time not due to roadwork or a car accident. The road was blocked for a table tennis match. The Asia to Europe route on the Istanbul bridge was closed for 30 minutes for what was probably the first-ever intercontinental table tennis match. Two top-ranked players, Austria's Werner Schlager and Ko Lai Chak from Hong Kong, showed their skills at the table, which was placed right in the middle of the bridge, half in the Asian side and half in the European. The event symbolically preceded the Eurasia All Stars Series, a table tennis tournament that will bring together five players from both continents. The first in the two-leg event will be in August in China, a powerhouse of the sport, with the other in Turkey, in November. European Table Tennis Union head Stefano Bosi highlighted the importance of Istanbul hosting the event. "This is a magical place," he said. "This is Istanbul, the city between two continents. The dream came true and I'm so happy to share it with you at this special moment." /Hurriyet Daily News/
FIFTH WTA ISTANBUL CUP KICKS OFF TODAY
The Fifth WTA Tour Istanbul Cup 2009 tournament, Turkey's biggest tennis tournament, starts today at the newly constructed ENKA Sadi Gulcelik Arena in Istinye and will run through Aug. 2. The tournament is welcoming 22 of the 100 top-ranked players from the WTA tour, a body that oversees women's tennis. Turkey's Ipek Senoglu, Pemra Ozgen and Cagla Büyükakcay will start the tournament with main-table games today. On Saturday, Senoglu played an exhibition match with Russian star Vera Zvonareva to mark the start of the event. Zvonareva, ranked number 7 on the WTA tour and the highest-ranked player on the bill, took on Turkey's most successful tennis player at the Istinye Park Mall in Istanbul. Turkish interest in tennis has risen considerably in recent years, so Istanbul Cup organizers and sponsors hope to make Turkey a world tennis power and make sure the tournament attracts global interest. This year's Istanbul Cup has received more coverage than the four previous tournaments. All roads lead to the ENKA Arena, starting today, in what is expected to be a fast-paced, action-packed championship. Since 2005, winners of the WTA Istanbul Cup title include the US' Venus Williams, Israel's Shahar Peer, Russia's Elena Dementieva, and Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska. In related news, according to the Istanbul Branch of the Turkish Tennis Federation, Turkey hosted 36 international tournaments last year. This year, 14 more tournaments have been added to the schedule, bringing the total to 50. In addition to the international tournaments, 80 national tournaments will be organized nationwide this year. /Today's Zaman/