PRESIDENT GUL LAYS FOUNDATION OF TURKISH UNIVERSITY IN ALBANIA

In Albania on Saturday for an official visit, President Abdullah Gul participated in a ground-laying ceremony for a new Turkish university in the capital, Tirana. State Ministers Zafer Caglayan and Selma Aliye Kavaf and Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun also attended the ceremony and later visited a school named after late Turkish President Turgut Ozal. Addressing students and teachers at the Turkish high school, Gul thanked them for their warmth and hospitality. Gul said the friendship between Turkey and Albania stems from their shared history, adding that Turkish schools are just one fruit of that friendship. "These schools are the best gifts from Turkish businessmen to Albania," Gul said. The new university, Apoke University, is expected to be completed within five years, and is set to serve some 4,000 students. The campus will stretch out over 60 acres. During Gul's meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, the development of relations, and especially trade and economic relations and increasing Turkish investments in Albania, was discussed, the Albanian Prime Ministry Press Center said in a statement. It stressed the importance of Gul's visit, saying it had made a significant contribution to strengthening bilateral relations. "We are determined to develop relations between our two countries, two governments and two nations," Gul was quoted as saying during his meeting with Berisha. Gul also held talks in Montenegro, and along with his Montenegrin counterpart Filip Vujanovic, attended a Turkey-Montenegro Business Forum. Addressing the meeting, Gul expressed Turkey's eagerness to boost trade ties with Montenegro, adding that the country has been steadily moving towards both NATO and European Union memberships. /Today's Zaman-Hurriyet Daily News/

SAHIN: "THE EU'S FUTURE IS IMPORTANT FOR TURKEY"

Turkey places great importance on the future of the European Union, Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin told a gathering of his EU counterparts over the weekend. "We have been following developments regarding the Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force earlier this moth," he told the meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. The treaty envisages major changes in the EU's legal and administrative structure to help the Union reach its goals more effectively. It also underlines the importance of further enlargement of the 27-member bloc. /Hurriyet Daily News/

TURKEY, SYRIA TO SIGN A HOST OF COOPERATION AGREEMENTS

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to pay an official visit to Syria on December 22-23, the Foreign Ministry announced yesterday. The statement said Erdogan will travel to Damascus to attend the first prime ministerial-level meeting of Turkey-Syria High Level Starategic Cooperation, chaired by Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart Naji al-Otri. About a dozen cabinet ministers from both countries will also attend. As part of the meeting, a number of agreements, protocols and memorandums of understanding aimed at fostering bilateral ties in various areas, including further improving bilateral trade, will be signed as well. The two countries also intend to improve their cooperation in the joint fight against terrorism. /Turkiye/

MUBARAK, GUL TO DISCUSS PALESTINIAN PEACE EFFORTS IN ANKARA

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is set to arrive in Ankara tomorrow to speak with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul about Palestine. After seeking European support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and lasting peace in the region, Mubarak is expected to discuss with Gul how to reconcile rival Palestinian groups as well as efforts to pave the way for establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The two leaders will also discuss ways to further improve bilateral trade ties, as well as developments concerning Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran's controversial nuclear program. Mubarak is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. /Turkiye/

DAVUTOGLU: "TURKISH-CROATIAN COOPERATION IS THE BACKBONE OF STABILITY IN THE BALKANS"

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu paid an official visit to Croatia over the weekend, which resulted in a joint decision by Turkey and Croatia to intensify contacts to draft and implement common policies regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is plagued by simmering tensions over governance and power-sharing issues. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic after their meeting in Zagreb, Davutoglu said Turkey places great importance on the integration of countries of the region with NATO and European bodies. He said the two countries decided to work together to protect Bosnia-Herzegovina's stability and territorial integrity. "Our ministries will constantly be in touch, and work together for Bosnia-Herzegovina to take the place it deserves in the international community," said Davutoglu. He said bilateral relations, regional issues, and relations with the European Union, NATO and the UN were discussed in his meetings with Croatian officials. For his part, Jandrokovic said countries extending support to Bosnia-Herzegovina should also respect its territorial integrity, and support its EU and NATO membership bids. He said they agreed to boost the current trade volume of $450 million to $1 billion. Later Davutoglu attended a dinner hosted in his honor by Jandrokovic. Before leaving Zagreb, Davutoglu, along with his wife Sare, visited the Zagreb Mosque, where they learned about the historic building and Zagreb's Muslim community. Davutoglu also visited Dubrovnik and later proceeded to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina to attend the Ministerial Meeting on the Alliance of Civilizations Southeast Europe Strategy. /Akşam/

US RENEWS WELCOME ON TURKISH INTENT TO MEDIATE BETWEEN IRAN, WEST

The United States said although it is involved in a tactical difference with Turkey over Iran's controversial nuclear program, it still welcomes Ankara's intention to mediate between Iran and the West, which accuses Tehran of attempting to obtain an atomic bomb. "Turkey, I think, wants to play a mediating role. They believe that they have particular links and contacts with Iran that we don't have, and that it's important for them to be able to play that role," US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Phil Gordon told a panel late last week at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington think-tank. "We welcome that type of role. If Turkey can talk to both sides, I think the Turks see themselves that way in the region," he said. "They've long had good ties with Israel, but also the Arab world, and they can talk to both sides, and they've played a constructive role in that area." But Gordon also said Turkey should understand that Iran will pay a price if it continues to refuse to reconcile with the West on the nuclear dispute. "We have said (to the Turks), that's fine, and please do help, but Iran needs to understand the message of the international community that there are consequences for not responding to what we think are generous offers of engagement," he said. Gordon said the US-Turkish differences over Iran are "tactical." /Hurriyet Daily News/

BARCA FOOTBALL CLUB APPROVES THY SPONSORSHIP

FC Barcelona's management board has approved a three-year sponsorship deal with Turkish Airlines (THY), the Spanish and European champions said on Friday. Turkey's flag carrier will pay Barca 3 million euros ($4.4 million) a year for the exclusive global deal, club Director General Joan Oliver told a news conference. THY officials, who have been negotiating with Barcelona over the sponsorship for quite some time, will sign the deal in three weeks, which will make THY the national air carrier for Barcelona. The two sides first met last month to discuss the sponsorship, which THY expects will have a tremendous impact on the company's global recognition. /Today's Zaman/