GUL: "TURKEY AND KAZAKHSTAN ENJOY PERFECT BILATERAL TIES IN ALL AREAS"
Turkey places great importance on relations with Turkic nations of Central Asia, President Abdullah Gul told a press conference in Istanbul yesterday before leaving for an official visit to Kazakhstan at the invitation of his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev. Noting that the decision has been made to meet with the leaders of Turkic countries several times a year, Gül said Turkey and Kazakhstan enjoy perfect bilateral relations in all areas. Stating that the trade volume between the two countries has reached $3 billion and that Turkish contractors have completed projects amounting to $11 billion, Gul said that during his visit, several agreements would be signed to improve the already excellent relations. Turkish educational institutions in Kazakhstan show that relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan are multidimensional, he added. Speaing to reporters en route to Kazakhstan, Gul said what Turkey is trying to do with regard to the Iranian nuclear issue is to protect its national interests, pointing to damage that Turkey may suffer from new sanctions against Iran. Asked about US insisting on pushing for further sanctions against Iran despite a nuclear swap deal that Turkey and Brazil brokered with Tehran in early last week, Gul said, "The important thing is Turkey's national interests. We saw what the Iraqi war has costed Turkey. Some say Turkey is trying to assert itself. This isn't true. Turkey is pursuing its national interests. " Calling the deal a confidence building step, Gul attributed US reaction to the agreement to the domestic politics in the country. In response to a question, Gul said the southeastern Anatolia or Kurdish issue, no matter how it is called, is the biggest problem of Turkey. "This issue should be solved with maturity, and terror should come to an end." President Gul was welcomed by Nazarbayev in Cimkent, and the two had a meeting there. As part of his visit, Gul will address a meeting of Turkish-Kazkah Business Forum, and will meet with Turkish businesspeople doing business in the country. Gul will also attend the inauguration of the new Turkish embassy building in Astana, and will open the Astana branch of the Yunus Emre Culture Center. Public Works and Housing Minister Mustafa Demir, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas and Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) Chairman Rizanur Meral are accompanying Gul on his Kazakhstan visit. President Gul is also scheduled to travel to the city of Turkestan to visit Hoca Ahmet Yesevi University and to attend the opening ceremony of an associated hospital. /Turkiye/
ISTANBUL CONFERENCE RAISES HOPES FOR WAR-TORN SOMALIA
Dozens of nations have pledged to help Somalia build a strong police and military, achieve peace and stability and eradicate the piracy that has plagued international maritime trade. Country representatives who met in Istanbul at a three-day UN-sponsored conference for Somalia said on Saturday that strengthening law enforcement in the impoverished and lawless African nation was essential given the chaotic situation and deepening divisions among militant groups. "If we do not tackle the basic causes onshore, we will never be able to stop the piracy offshore," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said at the end of the conference. "Despite the risk ... the UN and the international community will not stand by and watch Somalia's struggle alone." The conference participants -- representatives of 55 nations and 12 international organizations -- expressed "grave concern over the increase in acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea against vessels off the coast of Somalia," according to a joint statement released at the end of the meeting. The joint declaration said that "a bright future for Somalia is possible" and that the international community would offer support. Turkey signed a deal to provide military training to Somali soldiers. "We send a clear and strong message to the people of Somalia that they are not alone in the search for peace, reconciliation and prosperity after so many years of poverty, hardship and suffering," the declaration said. Ban thanked those offering training, but also noted, "We need to do more to pay them after that training." Speaking at a joint press conference following his bilateral meeting with Ban on the same day, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would never leave Somalia alone, highlighting the presence of historical ties between his country and Somalia. "Lending our best support is also a historical duty for us," Erdogan said. /Today's Zaman/
CRITICAL DAY ARRIVES FOR IRAN NUCLEAR SWAP DEAL
Iran is due to present an official letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today about its nuclear fuel swap deal with Turkey and Brazil, completing the first phase of the agreement despite threats of sanctions. Leaders of the three countries announced the agreement last Monday under which Iran will send 1,200 kilograms of its enriched uranium stocks to Turkey in exchange for fuel rods for a Tehran medical research reactor. But the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, after months of negotiations, brushed off the deal with a draft resolution on a new set of sanctions against Iran that Washington handed to the Security Council on Tuesday. In a telephone conversation with PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama said the US was expecting a "formal and authoritative message from Iran to the IAEA," repeating that, although the efforts of Turkey and Brazil were appreciated, concerns over Iran's nuclear program did not diminish after last Monday's deal. The letter to the IAEA constitutes the first phase of plan's implementation, following which Iran would send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey within one month, awaiting the delivery of 120 kilograms of uranium enriched by Russia and France up to 20 percent in 11 months in return. Premier Erdogan spoke to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and asserted that Turkey's efforts to rally international support for last Monday's deal will continue, IRNA reported on Sunday. Turkey has been working intensively to extend support for the deal. On Saturday, Erdogan's office announced that the prime minister has written to the leaders of 26 countries saying the deal would resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran by way of diplomacy and negotiation. The countries include all permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in Istanbul on Friday he hoped the deal would open the way to a negotiated settlement of Iran's row with the West over its nuclear program. /Today's Zaman/
SUCCESSFUL TURKISH MEDIATION PUTS BOSNIA BACK ON AGENDA
Turkey's efforts to mend fences between Serbia and Bosnia, though not as well known as its mediation over Iran's nuclear program, have been successful as two upcoming diplomatic visits show. Haris Silajdzic, the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is expected to make a historic visit to Belgrade this week. Turkey has meanwhile convinced Serbian President Boris Tadic to go to Srebrenica on the 15th anniversary of the massacres in the Bosnian Muslim village. The Turkish government played an important role in the process that led Serbia to issue an official apology in March for the slaughter of 8,000 Muslim men by Bosnian Serb militia members in 1995. "We did play a facilitating role behind the scene," a Turkish said. The dates for both Sladjic's trip to Belgrade and Tadic's trip to Srebrenica were decided at a trilateral summit that took place April 24 in Istanbul between the Bosnian and Serbian leaders and Turkish President Abdullah Gul. Turkey's increasing role in the Balkans has in part been made possible by its improved relations with the Serbian government, which were strained following Turkey's recognition of Kosovo's independence in February 2008. Gül's trip to Belgrade in October, however, was a real icebreaker. The Turkish government proposed to establish trilateral mechanisms between Turkey, Serbia and Croatia as well as Turkey, Serbia and Bosnia. Turkey is one of three guests, along with the US and Russia, that will participate in an EU-Balkans summit June 2 in Sarajevo. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are both expected to attend the event. Turkish diplomats are warning that the Oct. 3 elections in Bosnia will be critical and the Turkish government has urged all sides to remain calm and prevent separatist and ultranationalist voices from spoiling the current atmosphere. /Hurriyet Daily News/
US STUDENTS TOUR TURKEY TO DISCOVER ISLAM, HISTORY AND ART
A group of students and professors from the United States is touring Turkey to study its art, architecture and main religion with the aim of promoting intercultural relations and changing the established perceptions of Islam. Supported by grants from the Turkish Cultural Foundation, the trip is being led by professors Meredith Strauss and Rochelle Kessler of Woodbury University, a private, non-profit, non-sectarian university located in Burbank, California. Kessler, an art history professor, said, "Islam shares similarities with Christian and Jewish traditions. It has a special, wonderful and rich culture like the other religions. During their 17-day tour in Turkey, they have so far visited Istanbul, Çanakkale and Bursa to see the cities' art and architecture. "We walked through the gallery in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in Istanbul, and students were able to see the true colors from Anatolia before they saw them in books. They were amazed at how beautiful the pieces were," she added. "We chose Turkey for the trip because it is progressive and because of the easygoing personality of its people," Kessler said, adding that Turkey is a wonderful blend of Middle East and Asia with European influences. "Students begin to understand the great legacy of the Ottomans - how they once ruled such a large area and how powerful a history Turkey has," she said. "They now know its history and ancient sites, which they had seen in the movies before, but didn't realize were in Turkey." She gave the film "Troy," which is set near Çanakkale, by the Dardanelles, as an example. "You have all these layers from the very ancient civilizations - Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islam, Seljuk, Ottoman. Even in Istanbul you see all of it," Kessler said, adding that the teachers would have further discussions with the students following the trip. "The students are much more open and knowledgeable about the Islamic world and surprised about the depth and richness of Turkey, which is modern side by side with ancient ruins," she said. "That's interesting and surprising." /Hurriyet Daily News/