PM ERDOGAN RECEIVES JERUSALEM PEACE MAKERS INITIATIVE REPRESENTATIVES
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received Rabbi Menachem Froman and Sheikh Ghassan Manasra from Jerusalem Peacemakers initiative. Afterwards, Manasra said that Erdogan promised them to continue peace efforts and to support all people and institutions working to this end. In related news, Erdogan visited those who were injured on Monday's Israeli attack on Gaza aid flotilla and are receiving medical treatment at Ankara's Ataturk Teaching and Research Hospital. /Sabah/
BARZANI VISITS TURKEY
Massoud Barzani, head of the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq, was yesterday received by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a luncheon. Before the luncheon, Barzani met with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Afterwards, Davutoglu told a joint press conference, "From now on mutual visits will increase." He said that they were considering the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq as one of the most important components of the region. We will conduct joint projects to develop energy, industry and trade. For his part, Barzani said that Turkey was Northern Iraq's door to the west. He added, "I appreciate Prime Minister Erdogan's democratic initiative. We are ready for all kinds of cooperation to develop our relations." /Hurriyet/
RUSSIAN PM PUTIN: "EMBARGO ON GAZA SHOULD BE LIFTED"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday spoke with his Russian counterpart on the phone. Putin said that they were in favor of lifting the embargo imposed on Gaza, adding, "The humanistic and socio-economic situation in Palestine should be improved." In related news, Erdogan invited his Russian counterpart to the conference on "Cooperation in Asia and Confidence-Building Measures" set to be held in Istanbul next Tuesday. Putin accepted the invitation and the two leaders agreed to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the conference. /Star/
ASIAN LEADERS TO GATHER IN TURKEY FOR CICA
Leaders of several Central Asian countries will convene in Istanbul for a Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit on Monday. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will attend the conference. Turkey will take over the term presidency of CICA from Kazakhstan. /Today's Zaman/
ECONOMY MINISTER BABACAN ATTENDS G-20 MEETING IN SOUTH KOREA
Economy Minister Ali Babacan left Turkey for South Korea yesterday to attend a G-20 ministers meeting. Major issues to be addressed at the two-day meeting in Busan include recovery of the global economy; a G-20 framework for strong, sustainable and balanced growth; finance sector regulatory reform; and international financial institutions as relating to global financial safety nets. Babacan is expected to return to Turkey on Monday. /Today's Zaman/