TURKIC-SPEAKING NATIONS SEEK HIGHER INTL PROFILE
After 18 years of waiting, this year the summit of Turkic-speaking countries is passing a landmark threshold for institutionalization with a new Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States. The 10th Summit of Turkic-Speaking Countries began in Istanbul yesterday with a foreign ministerial-level meeting. Today President Abdullah Gul will welcome the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, who will participate in and close the summit with a final declaration, while also announcing the establishment of the new council. The deal on the new body, signed in Nakhchivan, envisages the formation of a cooperation council with the following organs: Council of Heads of States, Council of Foreign Ministers, Senior Officials Committee, Council of Elders of Turkic-Speaking States, and a secretariat. This week's summit will discuss details of the council's working and appoint the head of the Istanbul-based secretariat, expected to be Ambassador Halil Akinci. The draft final declaration, set to be adopted by the heads of state today, contains concrete steps towards solidarity and cooperation among participants, including establishing a foundation for the protection of Turkic culture and heritage in Baku, a new Turkic business council, a museum of Turkic history in Astana, declaring Oct. 3 the Day of Turkic-Speaking Countries, and allocating funds for research and development through cooperation between member countries' universities. In related news, Azerbaijan and Turkey, neighbors who have long based their relationship on the motto of "One nation, two states," yesterday took another step toward deepening bilateral ties when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev signed a framework agreement for establishing a bilateral High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. /Today's Zaman/
DAVUTOGLU: "TURKEY REMAINS COMMITTED TO SYRIA-ISRAEL PEACE"
Turkey will continue to do everything in its power for a lasting peace between Israel and Syria, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday. He said Turkey doesn't want violence or a blockade in its region. "We will try to do everything we can for a permanent peace between Israel and Syria," he said during a dinner hosted at Istanbul's Ciragan Palace on the occasion of the World Leaders Symposium. Davutoglu said Turkey supported political dialogue, mutual economic dependence, multiculturalism, co-existence and security in the region. Referring to protocols signed with Armenia, Davutoglu said they would be implemented within the framework of a comprehensive peace in the Caucasus, which also included an Azerbaijan-Armenia peace. Davutoglu also touched on Iran in his speech, saying Turkey and the US were of the same opinion regarding the Islamic republic. "We do not want any countries to possess nuclear weapons in our region, and we want a solution for Iran's nuclear problem through diplomacy," he said. The foreign minister underlined the importance of Turkish-US cooperation in the global and regional senses, and said working together could create a perfect synergy. Turkey's relations with the United States will contribute to world peace, and nobody should have concerns about US-Turkish relations, Davutoglu said. /Hurriyet Daily News/
SENIOR US DIPLOMAT: "NO COUNTRY IN EUROPE HAS CLOSER CONTACT WITH THE US THAN TURKEY"
Among European countries, Turkey is the country in the closest contact with the US, Phil Gordon, deputy US undersecretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, said yesterday. Speaking at US think-tank the German Marshall Fund on its new Transatlantic Trends Survey 2010, conducted jointly by the fund and Italian group Compagnia di San Poalo, Gordon said they don't think that Turkey is drifting away from the West. Conducted in 11 EU member countries, Turkey and the US, the survey found that over the last year, support for US President Barack Obama across Europe edged down from 83 percent to 78 percent. Most of those surveyed disapproved of Obama's Iran and Afghanistan policies. According to the poll, Turkish public support for the country's European Union accession bid has fallen sharply over the last six years, plummeting from 70 percent in 2004 to 38 percent this year. It found the percentage of Turks who believe Turkey should work more closely with Middle Eastern countries than with the US and EU to solve international problems doubled to 20 percent. Only 6 percent of Turkish respondents said Turkey should work closely with the US, and support for Obama fell nearly in half from 50 percent in 2009 to 28 percent this year. Saying that the survey shows the need for more US outreach to the Turkish public, Gordon said US officials discuss Washington's differences with Ankara openly and honestly. Stressing that the US wants to have a model partnership with Turkey, Gordon said no other government in Europe has such a permanent, open dialogue with the US. /Cumhuriyet, Sabah/
OECD HEAD: "TURKEY IS THE STRONGEST ECONOMY IN OUR GROUP THIS YEAR"
Turkey is the strongest country in the 33-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) this year, the group's Secretary-General Angel Gurria said yesterday. He made the remarks during a joint press conference in Ankara alongside Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan for the release of the OECD's 2010 report on Turkey. "Turkey was the strongest country in the OECD as we entered the year 2010," said Gurria, adding that while growth in many OECD countries fell short of expectations, "Turkey was an exception." Gurria also spoke of OECD expectations for the member countries. "We analyze countries, and as a result believe that in Europe the German and Turkish economies will remain strong, while the economies of the US, Canada and Japan will shrink," he said. According to the OECD's Turkey report, despite the global economic crisis, Turkey's level was upgraded from the Second-Degree Rising Country category to the Developed Rising Countries. Stating that Turkey has emerged stronger from the crisis, Gurria said, "This gives Turkey a golden opportunity to ensure full-fledged economic growth, and to make progress by combining economic and social prosperity in the post-crisis period." /Today's Zaman, Sabah/
CHP LEADER KILICDAROGLU IN BRUSSELS TO PROMOTE TURKEY'S EU BID
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu yesterday arrived in Brussels for talks with senior European Union officials and leaders of various political groups at the European Parliament, as well as business circles and think-tanks, to promote Turkey's EU bid. As part of his three-day stay in the EU capital, Kilicdaroglu is expected to have a busy schedule to make his party's support for Turkey's EU accession bid better known among EU leaders. Kilicdaroglu yesterday met with Martin Schultz, the head of the EP's Socialists and Democrats group, as well as Belgian Parliament Speaker Andre Flahaut, who is also the leader of Belgium's Socialist Party. Kilicdaroglu also had talks with businesspeople at the offices of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) and Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), and attended a dinner hosted by Turkish Ambassador Murat Ersavci in his honor. Accompanied by CHP Deputy Chairman Haluk Koc, Deputy Secretary General Gulsun Bilgehan, and EU Representative Kader Sevinc, Kilicdaroglu is set to continue his talks today by meeting with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stephan Fule and European Socialist Party head Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, among others. He is also scheduled to make a speech on the social democrat vision for Turkey's EU accession bid at a roundtable meeting held by the European Policy Center. In related news, before the CHP leader's departure for Brussels, Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis sent Kilicdaroglu information on recent developments in Turkey's EU accession negotiations. Speaking to reporters, Bagis said the information was sent to the CHP administration with the knowledge of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressing pleasure with the CHP's positive stance on the country's EU bid. He added that as a social democratic party, the CHP could be more effective in communicating Turkey's position on various matters to social democrats in Europe. Bagis also called for more CHP support to pass EU accession reform bills when Parliament returns from its summer recess. In related news, European Commission spokeswoman Angela Filote yesterday spoke to reporters about what Fule is set to tell Kilicdaroglu during their meeting. Stating that the EU believes the CHP can help Turkey's EU accession process, Filote said, "We hope the CHP will play a positive role in this process by making constructive suggestions and taking initiatives. We value CHP contributions to help realize Turkey's EU reforms." She added that they would tell Kilicdaroglu how the EU evaluates Turkey's progress based on objective criteria. /Aksam/
INDEPENDENT COMMISSION MEMBERS VISIT TURKEY TO BOOST EU BID
Arriving in Diyarbakir to meet with local officials and residents, Independent Commission on Turkey members yesterday said their current visit is meant to underline their support for Turkey's European Union membership. The group is a joint project of the Open Society Foundation-Turkey and the British Council. Members of the commission, including former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, former Spanish Foreign Minister Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, and former Austrian Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Albert Rohan, yesterday met with Diyarbakir Governor Mustafa Toprak. Toprak said he has been closely following the commission's work and is very pleased with the results. /Today's Zaman/