PRESIDENT GUL MEETS WITH IRAQI COUNTERPART TALABANI ON SIDELINES OF ECO MEETING IN ISTANBUL
President Abdullah Gul yesterday met with his Iraq counterpart Jalal Talabani ahead of an Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) heads of state and government summit in Istanbul. The leaders met at the Tarabya Mansion and spoke for one hour. "I wouldn`t leave Baghdad just after the formation of a new government without getting an invitation from you," said Talabani. "Turkey is the only common point of (ECO members). Istanbul is the capital for all of us." He added, "We`re determined to improve bilateral relations." For his part, Gul said, "Your high-level attendance at this event shows the cooperation between us. But we haven`t been able to make progress on cooperation agreements. We should work to correct this soon." /Sabah/
GUL TO OBAMA: "DON`T LET AN ARMENIAN RESOLUTION HOLD TURKISH-US TIES HOSTAGE"
In a letter to US President Barack Obama this week, President Abdullah Gul again expressed opposition to a so-called Armenian "genocide" resolution going to a vote in the US House of Representatives, warning that this would damage Turkish-US ties. "Turkey expects that you will not allow that issue to take our relations hostage," Gul wrote to Obama. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN EVOKES SPIRIT OF NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IN OPPOSING ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday expressed hope that US President Barack Obama would support Turkey`s opposition to a vote by the US House of Representatives on a resolution declaring the World War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide. Such support would be in line with the spirit of the Nobel Peace Prize, which Obama won last year, Erdogan suggested. /Today`s Zaman/
FOLLOWING FANS` ATTACK, DAVUTOGLU WORKS TO PROTECT TURKISH PLAYERS IN GREEK CYPRUS
Following the attack Tuesday night on Turkish side Karsiyaka at the hands of fans of Greek Cypriot basketball team Apoel, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spent much of yesterday on the telephone trying to protect the Turkish players. After the attack, which followed a match in Greek Cyprus, Davutoglu asked Rear Admiral Mario Sanchez Debernardi, who commands the UN Peacekeeping Force on Cyprus, to provide for the safety of the Turkish side. Davutoglu reportedly warned Debernardi that he would be held responsible if anything happened to the players. Davutoglu also stayed in contact with Kaya Turkmen, Turkey`s ambassador to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and asked that the players be transported to the TRNC. But the Greek Cypriot administration refused his request, arguing that doing so would mean recognizing the TRNC. The UN refused the same request, citing security concerns. Karsiyaka later left the island yesterday without further incident. /Hurriyet/
ECO COUNTRIES TALK REGIONAL COOPERATION IN ISTANBUL
The foreign ministers of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states convened in Istanbul yesterday on the sidelines of an ECO summit to be held today, while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul held bilateral talks with foreign leaders in advance of the summit. /Today`s Zaman/
EUROPEAN COUNCIL HEAD URGES CLOSER EU PARTNERSHIP WITH TURKEY
Praising Turkey`s active regional role, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy on Tuesday called on the 27-member European Union to develop a closer relationship with the candidate country without waiting to see the eventual outcome of its ongoing membership negotiations. "Turkish reform efforts – partly achieved to adhere to EU standards – have delivered impressive results," Van Rompuy said during a visit to Budapest. "At the same time, Turkey plays an ever more active role in its neighborhood. (For instance) in mediating between Syria and Israel, or in its improving contacts with Armenia." He added, "Turkey is also a full-standing member of the G-20, just like five EU countries and the EU itself. In my view, even before an outcome of the negotiations, the EU should develop a close partnership with the Turkish Republic." He also stressed that the EU`s credibility as a global player depends on achievements in its immediate neighborhood. /Today`s Zaman/
BELGIUM: "WE NEED A QUICK WAY OUT OF THE NEAR-STANDSTILL IN TURKEY`S EU TALKS"
Turkey`s rapidly improving economy is a real success story, but its politicians should be careful to avoid boasting about this success, said Belgian Ambassador to Turkey Pol De Witte yesterday. Belgium next week ends its six-month tenure as European Union president. "I think both sides have a lot to gain by further integrating their economies," he said. "Multinational EU companies are investing in Turkey and see good return in their investments thanks to the market here, thanks to the regional market and also the good climate for labor and production." He added, "For so many years we have had a situation in which a number of chapters (in Turkey`s EU negotiations) have been blocked due to non-implementation of the Ankara Protocol (keeping Greek Cypriot vessels out of Turkish ports and airports), and this has led to a situation now where in fact the accession negotiations have almost come to a standstill because there are no easy chapters, and this is something we would all like to overcome. A solution should be found sooner rather than later because every one of us feels the consequences of this, so it is in nobody`s interest that this situation continues like this." /Today`s Zaman/
TURKISH, ISRAELI OFFICIALS MEET AMID ROW OVER GREEK CYPRIOT OIL EXPLORATION DEAL
The Israeli ambassador to Ankara visited Turkey`s environment minister yesterday to express Israel`s gratitude for Turkey`s assistance during a recent fire, following Ankara`s angry response to a new oil exploration deal between Israel and Greek Cyprus. Sources said the Israeli-Greek Cyprus deal was not discussed during the meeting between Environment Minister Veysel Eroglu and Israel`s Gaby Levy. The visit was simply a gesture to express Israel`s thanks to the Turkish government after it sent two firefighting planes to help contain a serious forest fire in northern Israel. While the fire aid prompted both sides to seek ways to normalize relations, which were strained by an Israeli commando raid of a Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla on May 31, the deal Israel signed with Greek Cyprus last Friday drew adverse reactions from Turkey. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry criticized the deal as an "unfortunate development," calling it "null and void" because it disregards the rights and jurisdiction of Turkish Cypriots. The deal delineates an exclusive economic zone between Israel and Greek Cyprus and will allow both countries to move ahead in the search for energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. Last week, Foreign Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu summoned the Israeli ambassador to the ministry to convey Turkey`s displeasure over the matter. "These kinds of agreements are directly linked to the sovereignty issue, which is one of the indispensable components of the ongoing comprehensive settlement negotiations," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders aimed at reunifying the island. "The Greek Cypriot administration does not represent in law or in fact the Turkish Cypriots and Cyprus as a whole. Therefore, agreements signed by the Greek Cypriots with countries of the region are null and void for Turkey." Israel is not the first country to sign such a deal, as Greek Cyprus has already concluded similar agreements with Egypt and Lebanon. "It is our earnest expectation from the international community and especially from the countries of the region that all would avoid supporting Greek Cypriots` unilateral activities that would have a negative impact on the comprehensive settlement negotiations," said the ministry. "Turkey, along with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), will continue its efforts, through diplomatic and political channels, to protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots." In an interview with Agence-France Presse, Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau brushed aside the Turkish criticism, saying, "The agreement with Cyprus clearly defines our rights in the Mediterranean." /Hurriyet Daily News/
DEBUT OF NEW IRANIAN FM SET TO DOMINATE ISTANBUL SUMMIT
The new Iranian foreign minister`s first international appearance, coming amid renewed optimism about a solution to the country`s controversial nuclear program, is likely to overshadow a regional meeting that began Wednesday in Turkey. The foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran held private talks on the nuclear issue for more than an hour in Istanbul`s Ciragan Palace, where the three-day 11th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is taking place. The meeting came following productive talks in Geneva on Tehran`s nuclear program and ahead of the next round, expected to be held in Istanbul in late January. There is a general positive impression after the Geneva talks, and Turkey hopes a diplomatic solution will be agreed to after the Istanbul talks, diplomatic sources told journalists after a bilateral meeting between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Iranian counterpart, acting Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. Iran has long been at odds with world powers over its nuclear program, which it insists is solely for peaceful purposes. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to arrive in Istanbul today for the summit. There has been no request by the Iranian side for Turkey to mediate in the upcoming talks, according to the diplomatic sources, who said Turkey would still do its best to contribute in any way to successful multilateral talks on Iran`s nuclear program. The two foreign ministers also discussed Turkish-Iranian relations and regional issues, sources said. Speaking to the ECO Foreign Ministers Council, Davutoglu said, "We aim to contribute to the improvement of security, stability and welfare in both our close neighborhood and beyond." He added that Turkey is located in a sensitive region, one racked by armed conflicts and intractable disputes. /Hurriyet Daily News/
PAMUK CHARGES OPPOSITION TO TURKEY`S EU BID STEMS FROM "FEAR OF THE POOR"
Western opposition to Turkey`s European Union membership bid stems from fear of the poor, charged Nobel laureate novelist Orhan Pamuk in Italian magazine Focus this week. "You (the West) are afraid of the poor," Pamuk told the magazine. "If Turkey were as rich as Japan, you wouldn`t object to its EU membership. The press paints Turkey as moving towards Islamism and plays up the negative aspects of our culture." Pamuk added that rich countries such as France and Germany are holding back Turkey`s EU membership for social and economic reasons. /Hurriyet/