RENEWING DETERMINATION FOR ACCESSION, ERDOGAN COMPLAINS OF EU STANCE

Speaking to Kriter magazine over the weekend, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed the government's determination to pursue Turkey's European Union accession bid despite all obstacles. Stressing that accession is a strategic goal for Turkey, Erdogan complained about what he called "discouraging" acts and statements by certain EU countries on Turkey's aspiration to join the 27-member bloc. "The government's will to reach the EU accession goal is clear," he said. "Since Turkey's first application to join the EU in 1959, most tangible steps towards that end have been taken by our government, which has shown the most resolute stance to carry out EU reforms in its seven years in office. Our sincerity on the country's aspirations to become a full EU member has been seen in a concrete and clear way during this time." Stating that Ankara expects to see the same sincerity and excitement from the EU, Erdogan added, "Turkey's accession will make the EU a global actor. Turkey holds the keys to solve a number of problems facing the Union. Beyond this, Turkey becoming a full EU member also poses a historic opportunity in terms of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. EU member countries must primarily consider these parameters when evaluating Turkey's EU accession bid." Stressing that Turkey's EU accession is a process which is moving forward based on the expectations of the Turkish nation and its strong belief in the EU goal, Erdogan also said, "Reforms made as part of this process are not just for the purpose of fulfilling EU accession criteria but rather towards raising the living standards of the nation in all areas. No matter what happens at the end of this process, the government will continue its determined work to boost the nation's living standards." /Turkiye/

FM DAVUTOGLU MEETS WITH SAUDI KING

Visiting Riyadh over the weekend, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was received by Saudi King Abdullah. During the one-hour meeting, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz and Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal were also in attendance. Issues such as Turkey's efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear controversy, a mechanism established by Gulf countries and Turkey, and Syrian-Lebanese relations were discussed. /Aksam/

YEAR OF JAPAN IN TURKEY BEGINS TODAY

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada will officially inaugurate Turkey's Year of Japan today with a ceremony at the Ankara headquarters of the Turkish-Japanese Culture Association. During the one-year event, Ankara and Istanbul will host many cultural activities such as concerts, exhibits, traditional Japanese shadow theatre, and fireworks shows in a bid to make Japanese culture better known among Turkish audiences. Turkey declared 2010 the Year of Japan as a gesture returning Japan's declaration making 2003 the Year of Turkey. Arriving in Istanbul yesterday, Okada visited Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Museum, and was briefed about Marmaray, a Turkish-Japanese joint undersea project to bridge the two sides of the Bosporus to ease the city's traffic problems. /Sabah/

DAVUTOGLU MEETING TURKISH AMBASSADORS AT 5-DAY POLICY CONFERENCE

The five-day Second Ambassadors' Conference starts in Ankara today under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Davutoglu will meet with 200 Turkish ambassadors who serve abroad and at the Foreign Ministry to formulate a vision for Turkish foreign policy. Also expected to deliver speeches at the conference are Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who will all be visiting Turkey this week. /Star/

TURKEY TO TAKE OVER TWO NEW MISSIONS ON UN SECURITY COUNCIL

Turkey is set to assume two significant missions on the UN Security Council during 2010, in another sign of its increasing visibility and activity within international organizations. Turkey is in the middle of a two-year non-permanent membership on the 15-nation Security Council which lasts until year's-end. Now Turkey is taking over from Croatia chairmanship of the council's Counter-Terrorism Committee. It will also become the lead council member on Afghanistan in 2010. The post was held last year by Japan, which was elected to the council for 2009-2010 along with Turkey, Austria, Mexico and Uganda. /Today's Zaman/