TURKEY, KAZAKHSTAN TO COOPERATE IN EDUCATION
Calling bilateral relations between Ankara and Astana "exceptional," President Abdullah Gul has pledged to lend support to all kinds of bilateral cooperation in the field of education not only for the development of the two countries, but especially for the sake of future generations. Gul's remarks came yesterday in the Kazakh city of Turkestan where he, along with his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, attended several opening and foundation- laying ceremonies at the International Hoca Ahmet Yesevi Turkish-Kazakh University, which is an international and autonomous mutual state university of the republics of Turkey and Kazakhstan. Accompanied by a large delegation including Nukhet Yeti_, the president of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, the president of the Higher Education Board (YOK), Gul kicked off his official four-day visit to Kazakhstan on Sunday, arriving in Shymkent. Gül and Nazarbayev proceeded to Turkestan on Monday. Delivering a speech at the university where he was given an honorary doctorate, Gul highlighted Nazarbayev's contribution to the current level of solidarity and cooperation between Turkey and Kazakhstan. Gul emphasized the importance Ankara attaches to bilateral cooperation between the two countries in education and described the Hoca Ahmet Yesevi University as the most concrete example of this cooperation. "This is necessary not only for the development of our countries, but also for carrying an awareness of friendship and brotherhood to the next generations," Gul said. Yetis and Ozcan's presence in the accompanying delegation was meant to further improve this cooperation, he added. There are two Turkish universities and 27 Turkish schools in Kazakhstan. For his part, Nazarbayev remarked that Turkey is a reliable strategic partner for his country, in an apparent reference to the fact that the presidents of the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement during his official visit to Turkey in October 2009. The Hoca Ahmet Yesevi University is one of the best examples of the friendly relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev said, adding: "We should establish an education system that befits the understanding manifested by Ahmet Yesevi." Yesevi, believed to have lived in the 11th century, was an early Turkish Sufi mystic leader who exerted a powerful influence on the development of mystical orders throughout the Turkic-speaking world. /Today's Zaman/
SARKOZY: "EVERYONE SHOULD THANK TURKEY FOR BROKERING IRAN NUCLEAR SWAP DEAL"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday had a phone conversation during which they discussed a recent nuclear swap deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil with Iran. Erdogan reportedly conveyed Turkey's expectation from France, a permanent member of UN Security Council and one of the countries in the Vienna Group which also includes Russia, France and the IAEA, to extend support to the implementation of the deal under 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. Erdogan said that Iran initiated the process by formally informing International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the deal today. He noted that the response of Vienna Group was very important on that stage. For his part, Sarkozy called the deal a very positive step, saying that the international community should thank Turkey and Brazil for brokering such a deal. Accepting to store Iran's uranium in Turkish soil is a great responsibility, Sarkozy reportedly told Erdogan, however, adding concerns still remained over the deal. Urging Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities, including production of 20 percent enriched uranium, Sarkozy said. Expressing appreciation for Turkey's efforts regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, Sarkozy also asked Erdogan to stay in touch, and added that dialogue should be given more time. In related news, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Turkey's efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue are appreciated, and thanked Premier Erdogan, who also held phone conversations with leaders of Saudi Arabia and Jordan yesterday in a bid to rally support for the deal. In related news, speaking to reporters en route to Kazakhstan for an official visit over the weekend, President Abdullah Gul said the US reaction to Iran's nuclear fuel swap deal sealed in Tehran in early last week was related to domestic politics. The president said the swap deal was a "requirement" of the EU, the Vienna Group (the US, Russia, France and the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA]), the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the US, China, Russia, France and Britain plus Germany), and the international community. "Their reaction, as I see it, is related to domestic politics," Gul stressed. Despite different views on Iran, Gul said the US is Turkey's ally and that they are very aware of the cost of the Iraq war to Turkey, adding that it is in Turkey's national interest to solve Iran's nuclear dispute through diplomacy. Gul also ruled out claims that Turkey wants to show itself off in the international arena by taking on a role in the nuclear crisis. Saying that US President Obama is following a policy of "engagement," repudiating his predecessor George W. Bush's "You are either with us or against us" rhetoric, Gul said Obama should embrace his policies, implying that he needs to endorse the nuclear deal agreed with Iran under Brazilian and Turkish mediation. /Turkiye/
BALL IN WORLD POWERS' COURT AS IRAN SENDS DEAL TO IAEA
Iran yesterda followed through on a deal it agreed to with Turkey and Brazil to transfer some of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey, presenting a formal letter to the UN atomic watchdog that outlines the agreement. "We expect the deal to be realized as soon as possible," Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said after the letter, signed by Iranian nuclear program chief Ali Akbar Salehi, was handed over to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano at a 45-minute meeting in Vienna. Permanent representatives of Turkey and Brazil at the UN were also present during the meeting, the Anatolia news agency said. The letter constitutes the first step in the implementation of the May 17 deal, formulated after 18-hour-long negotiations between Turkey, Brazil and Iran. The IAEA is now due to present it to the Vienna Group, made up of potential suppliers of higher enriched uranium -- namely the United States, Russia and France -- as well as the IAEA. The next step involves Iran sending 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey within one month, awaiting the delivery of 120 kilograms of uranium enriched by up to 20 percent in 11 months in return. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke to his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, on Sunday, discussing the content of the letter before talking to Amano. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also had a phone conversation with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. US President Barack Obama told Erdogan during a telephone conversation on Wednesday that Iran's message to the IAEA should be "firm and authoritative." And the Turkish side has announced the letter met expectations. "We believe the letter was formulated as a constructive and positive text," Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said on Sunday after Davutoglu's talks with Mottaki. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast, speaking in Ystanbul, said Tehran had accepted the nuclear fuel swap to show good faith in efforts to defuse tensions concerning its nuclear program, which he reiterated were solely peaceful. "Iran accepted the conditions in order to create an atmosphere based on trust and cooperation," Mehmanparast told journalists at a press conference on Monday. He said Tehran was awaiting approval from the Vienna Group for its uranium to be sent to Turkey for safekeeping until a swap could take place. "We will reach an agreement with the group after the discussions on all technical and official details are complete. A possible agreement with the Vienna Group . will provide a peaceful and constructive solution for the whole world." Turkey defends the deal, saying it meets all of the demands put forward by the world powers and that it should be given a chance so as to pave the way for a diplomatic solution. The US, however, says it appreciates the Turkish effort but insists concerns over Iran's intentions remain, and it will continue pushing for new sanctions against Tehran despite the deal. /Today's Zaman/
FM DAVUTOGLU: "EUROPEAN POLITICIANS AREN'T AS COURAGEOUS AS THE POPE"
In an interview with monthly Italian magazine 30 Giorni, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Pope Benedict the 16th understood Turkey's integration to Europe and that he acted more courageously than politicians. While speaking about how Turkey carried out to become a democratic and Muslim country, Davutoglu also touched on Turkey's multi cultural past. /Sabah/
TURKEY STRIKES MILITARY DEAL WITH SAUDI ARABIA
Turkey signed Monday a military cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that the General Staff said would contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East. Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister and Prince Khalid bin Sultan signed the agreement at the military headquarters in Ankara. "I believe the signing of the agreement for training, scientific and technical cooperation in the military field will contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East region where opposite developments prevail," Gen. Basbug said before the signing ceremony. He said the deal would also help improve bilateral relations based upon friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation. Prince Khalid bin Sultan said the deep rooted ties of brotherhood between the two countries was a driving force behind the cooperation between them. He said they wanted to carry the cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries further and create a framework that would boost this cooperation. /Hurriyet Daily News/
29TH ANNUAL TURKISH DAY FESTIVAL HITS NEW YORK STREETS
Sunday saw the 29th edition of the Turkish Day Festival, an all-day event that promotes Turkey and Turkish culture in New York, with a long line of Turkish and American officials in tow. The festival was organized by the Federation of Turkish-American Associations (TADF) at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza next to the UN building, and saw the participation of such high-ranking names as Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek and his delegation of parliamentary deputies, Turkish Ambassador to the US Namik Tan and Turkish Consul General in New York Mehmet Samsar. /Today's Zaman/
TURKEY BECOMES PARTNER COUNTRY FOR CEBIT
Turkey will become the partner country for the world's largest technology trade show, CeBIT, in 2011. The trade show will take place in Hanover, Germany between March 1 and March 5, 2011. An Istanbul Chamber of Commerce statement said yesterday that the German Informatics and Telecommunication Association BITKOM and Deutsche Messe, which will organize the trade show, had declared Turkey as the partner country for the show in 2011. On the sidelines of the trade show, Turkish-German Information and Communication Technologies Summit will be held on March 1, 2011. /Hurriyet Daily News/