PM ERDOGAN: "I TRUST IN PRESIDENT OBAMA'S LEADERSHIP AND COMMON SENSE"
On a resolution on the so-called Armenian "genocide" allegations now pending before a key US House committee, US President Barack Obama should act with common sense, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday. "Turkish-US cooperation is going through its most successful period in history," he told the ruling party's parliamentary group meeting. "I hope this cooperation won't be damaged by such initiatives. At this point I trust in the leadership and common sense of President Obama, who has closely followed our normalization efforts with Armenia." In related news, Erdogan will reportedly pay a visit to the US on April 12. /Milliyet-Star/
TURKEY PRESSES OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO PUSH AGAINST "GENOCIDE" RESOLUTION
Two parliamentary delegations in Washington, one led by Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Murat Mercan and another led by Turkish-US Interparliamentary Friendship Group head Suat Kiniklioglu, yesterday started to urge the Obama administration to make a stronger push against passage by the US House Foreign Relations Committee of a resolution that would recognize the incidents of 1915 as "genocide," warning that its passage would undermine the ongoing rapprochement efforts between Turkey and Armenia, thus endangering stability in the Caucasus. At a press conference at Turkey's Washington Embassy, Mercan said putting the proposed resolution to a full House vote would benefit neither Turkey nor the US but only undermine efforts to ensure peace and stability in the Caucasus. The delegations will try to make US officials and congressmen aware of the extreme harm that passage of the resolution would do to regional peace and stability, Mercan said. Also speaking at the press conference, Kiniklioglu said Turkey expects the Obama administration to use its influence to prevent the resolution from being passed by the full House or both houses of Congress. "Even if the resolution is passed by the House Foreign Relations Committee, this doesn't mean that it can be passed by the full House," he said. "We expect the US administration to put more pressure on the committee members, as it did in 2007." Touching on a recent segment on the popular US news magazine "60 Minutes" which called the incidents of 1915 a "holocaust," Mercan called it "unfortunate," saying that both Turkey and the US Turkish community would register their displeasure. Members of the two delegations are slated to meet with 15 congressmen, including Rep. Howard Berman, the head of the House Foreign Relations Committee, as well as representatives of the media and think-tanks. Ambassador Namik Tan said that they would intensify their efforts against the resolution, and decried its timing. /Sabah/
CHIEF NEGOTIATOR BAGIS: "THE US IS AWARE OF TURKEY'S IMPORTANCE"
The US has enough sensitivity to head off making a historic mistake on the so-called Armenian "genocide" resolution now pending before the US Congress, Chief Negotiator for EU Talks Egemen Bagis said yesterday. "The duty of politicians is to determine the future, not the past," he said when asked about the issue while receiving Czech Ambassador to Ankara Eva Filipi. "If politicians assume the role of historians and try to rewrite history, this will seriously affect humanity. Lately, the dimensions of Turkish-US cooperation have been higher than ever. Our allies and friends in the US are aware of Turkey's strategic importance." /Turkiye/
FM DAVUTOGLU MEETS WITH EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT MUBARAK
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, currently in Egypt to hold official talks, yesterday met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el Sheik. The meeting was held in line with a 2007 Turkey-Egypt Strategic Dialogue Framework Memoir. During the meeting, issues such as Iraq, Palestine, and the Middle East peace process were discussed. /Turkiye/
JINSA: "THE ARMENIAN RESOLUTION SHOULD BE TURNED BACK"
The Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) yesterday announced its opposition to a resolution on the so-called Armenian "genocide" allegations now before the US Congress, saying that Congress is not the place to debate the history of other people in other times. The group warned that if the resolution is approved, Turkish-US relations would suffer, adding that this would do nothing to help Turkish-Armenian relations. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN TO RECEIVE UN AWARD IN MEMORY OF HARIRI
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will receive an inaugural award honoring the late Lebanese leader Rafiq Hariri, who was killed in a car bomb attack five years ago, the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) has announced. UN-HABITAT stated that the award will be given to Erdogan for his achievements in "leadership, statesmanship and good governance," especially as mayor of Istanbul in the mid-1990s when he hosted the Second UN Conference on Human Settlements, which led to the establishment of UN-HABITAT as a full-fledged UN program tasked with promoting adequate shelter for all. "When the history of UN-HABITAT is written, Erdogan's contribution as mayor of Istanbul will not be missed," UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka said in a message congratulating him on the award. Tibaijuka added that she looked forward to receiving Erdogan at the World Urban Forum later this month in Rio de Janeiro, where the ceremony to present the award will be held. In granting the honor, the seven-member international jury also noted Erdogan's contribution to conflict resolution, tolerance and peace-building initiatives in his region and international cooperation. /Today's Zaman/
BRITAIN'S BROWN HAILS TURKEY'S ACHIEVEMENTS OF RECENT YEARS
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday underlined strong friendship ties between Turkey and Britain. Speaking at a meeting in the House of Commons marking the fourth birthday of a ruling Labour Party pro-Turkey group, Brown said that he wanted to congratulate Turkey for what he called magnificent economic and political development and the transformation it has achieved in recent years. Stressing Turkey's rising international clout and influence, Brown said, "Britain is one of Turkey's most loyal friends and firmly supports its EU accession bid." Stressing that Turkey should be part of the European Union by taking the place in the center of Europe that it deserves, Brown said, "Britain extends full support to Turkey's admission into the EU, and we're ready to do whatever necessary to make Turkey a EU full member within a few years." On an official visit later this month by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brown said, "We'll have the opportunity to further deepen our bilateral ties during this visit." Brown also thanked the Turkish community in Britain for their contributions to the country. Also speaking at the event, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband said, "The transformation process that Turkey has been going through benefits both Britain and the EU." British State Minister responsible for EU affairs Chris Bryant, Turkey's London Ambassador Yigit Alpogan, and many MPs also attended the meeting. In related news, EU Term President Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos welcomed what he called Turkey's constructive stance in relations with neighboring countries. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian in Yerevan, Moratinos urged Turkey and Armenia to ratify and put into effect within reasonable time frames the rapprochement protocols towards normalized relations which both signed last October. For his part, Nalbandian expressed hope that the ongoing rapprochement between Turkey and his country would go forward in line with previously reached agreements. /Star-Sabah/
WORLD'S THIRD-LARGEST GENE BANK OPENS IN ANKARA
The world's third-largest gene bank was opened yesterday in Ankara by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Not only plant resources but also bacteria and fungi used in agricultural production will be protected at the bank, which has a capacity of 250,000 genres. The bank will protect gene resources both from Turkey and other countries under international agreements. /Cumhuriyet/