GUL IN IRAN TO IMPROVE TRADE TIES

President Abdullah Gul will be in Iran until Wednesday to hold talks with officials, discussing bilateral relations, regional developments and ways to boost trade between the two neighbors. Gul said yesterday before leaving for Tehran that his visit would further improve ties with Iran and contribute to efforts to ensure peace, tranquility and stability in the region, in the wake of uprisings that toppled two nearby governments. This will be Gul’s first visit to Iran since becoming president in 2007. "Political, economic and commercial relations between Turkey and Iran will be high on the agenda of our talks," said Gul. "We will also have the chance to review recent regional and global developments." Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and State Minister Cevdet Yilmaz are accompanying Gul, along with many businessmen and investors. Gul also told Iranian news agency IRNA in an interview that Turkey and Iran are "two major powerful countries" in the region and both are willing "to boost bilateral relations." Gul said cooperation between Iran and Turkey has seen "remarkable progress" over the past couple of years, IRNA reported. Gul said he will discuss major economic, political and cultural issues in meetings with Iranian officials. /Today’s Zaman/

OBAMA TELEPHONES ERDOGAN TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENTS IN EGYPT

Following the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, US President Barack Obama telephoned Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday night to evaluate developments, in their third conversation on the subject since the unrest in Egypt began. In their conversation, Erdogan and Obama agreed it was positive that the Egyptian people’s demands were met, while Erdogan particularly stressed the importance of immediate elections to select a new leader, daily Milliyet reported. The Prime Ministry Press Office said the two leaders "exchanged views on problems within the region, focusing on Egypt." On Friday Erdogan’s office said in a press statement, "We hope Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces ... will hand over power to a new administration, to be formed through fair and free elections, in the shortest possible time and a transition to a constitutional democracy, shaped by the will of the Egyptian people, will be ensured. We sincerely believe that Egypt ... will emerge stronger as a result of these developments." /Hurriyet Daily News/

FM DAVUTOGLU VISITS GEORGIA

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met yesterday with his Georgian counterpart, Grigol Vashadze, as part of an official visit to Tbilisi. Main topics of their meeting included Turkish-Georgian relations, as well as recent regional and global developments, and the restoration of historical and cultural remains in both countries. "Soon our citizens will be able to go through the Turkish-Georgian border with just their ID cards rather than passports," Davutoglu told a joint press conference with Vashadze after their meeting. "We have agreed to initiate the necessary work towards this end. We have also agreed to finalize the construction of the Muratli, Camili and Aktas border crossings between our countries." He added, "We will take tangible steps to protect out common cultural heritage, since we consider this a significant area of cooperation. We will carry our restoration of historical monuments, churches and mosques in Turkey, in Batumi and in the Adjara Autonomous Region." After the news conference, Davutoglu was received by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Parliament Speaker David Bakradze. He told reporters before leaving Tbilisi that Georgian officials will soon release the Turkish-flagged ship Afrosak. "I told President Saakashvili and Foreign Minister Vashadze about problems faced by Turkish businessmen operating in Georgia. They pledged to do their utmost to resolve those problems," he added. /Hurriyet Daily News/

TURKEY CALLS FOR TRANSFER OF POWER TO CIVILIAN RULE IN EGYPT

President Abdullah Gul, speaking hours before Egypt’s higher military council announced it will stay in power for six more months, said he hoped the military will help transfer power to a civilian government through democratic elections as soon as possible. He said transparent, free and fair elections monitored by international observers would satisfy the demands of the Egyptian people. "We hope that Egypt will come out of this process stronger," he added. "We want the Egyptian people to be happy and prosperous. Their happiness and prosperity depend on ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms, democracy, the rule of law and economic transparency." Speaking on Saturday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the Egyptian people and repeated his calls for a transition to civilian rule saying, "Free and fair elections should be held as soon as possible, with no toleration for chaos, instability, or provocations, and constitutional democracy should be secured." Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking in the Georgian city of Batumi at the start of an official visit on Friday, called Hosni Mubarak’s resignation from Egypt’s presidency a historic development for the Arab world and the region. He said the onus now lies with the military to ensure stability and review election law to allow active participation by political parties. "Firstly, continuity of the state and public order should be secured," Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolia news agency. "Secondly, people’s demands should be met, and a stable and lasting democracy should be built in Egypt through evolution. Thirdly, a transparent road map that the people can follow closely together with the international community should be announced." /Today’s Zaman/

EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION MET WITH JOY, OPTIMISM IN TURKISH BUSINESS WORLD

The Turkish business world is hailing Egypt’s moves towards true democracy, saying commercial ties between Turkey and Egypt could benefit. During the early days of protests against the government, even when $1.5 billion of Turkish investments were in short-term jeopardy, Rizanur Meral, head of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), expressed full solidarity with the Egyptian people. TUSKON members account for almost 70 percent of large industrial investments in Egypt. The first welcoming statement of Egypt’s post-autocratic era came from another leading business association, the Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (MUSIAD). Its president, Omer Cihad Vardan, issued a statement on Saturday calling the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak "a development highly important not only for Arab countries but also for all countries around the world." He added, "The popular unrest that began in Tunisia and spread to Egypt is a clear sign that regimes which fail to work for their people’s welfare, and which do not take their mandate directly from them, cannot long endure." Vardan also pointed to the positive economic impact, saying, "Today, the economic and social improvements in this region, where we have recently started to develop our commercial ties … will also have a positive impact on our country and our business world. We should also stress here that our country can share its valuable experience with this region, given its development level, stability, democracy, and our cultural and historical proximity to it." /Today’s Zaman/

TURKEY, SAUDI ARABIA HOPEFUL FOR FURTHER COOPERATION

Turkey and Saudi Arabia may reach a $20 billion foreign trade volume in the medium term, according to Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun. Meeting in Jeddah on Saturday with Saudi businessmen who control some $300 billion in capital, Ergun urged that cooperation and partnership among Middle Eastern countries be strengthened. "Turkey has been working to develop good relations with all the countries of the world, and especially with neighboring countries," he said. "In the last eight years we’ve built our relations with our neighbors on an understanding of ’zero problems, maximum cooperation’." Stressing that big countries such as Turkey and the Saudi Arabia should build relations that are an example for other countries, Ergun said, "But our economic ties fall short. Our bilateral trade rose from $1.3 billion in 2002 to just $4.6 billion last year." "We believe we may reach $20 billion in bilateral foreign trade in the medium term," Ergun said. "The problem rises from the lack of strong platforms bringing together our businesspeople." Saudi Arabia imports machinery, food products, chemicals, motor vehicles and textile products from China, Japan and the US, yet these are key Turkish exports, Ergun said. "We should generate solutions, if the problem arises from a lack of communication, red tape, or some other artificial reasons." "We can develop more cooperation in fields such as finance, tourism, communications and agriculture," Ergun said. "I also believe that Turkish construction companies will take more projects in Saudi Arabia." Turkey lacks rich oil and natural gas reserves, Ergun said, so it has to produce and export to enrich itself. /Aksam/

TURKEY SEEKS TOP JOB AT OSCE

A senior Turkish diplomat is competing against rivals from Austria, Italy and Portugal for a top post in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), touting his selection as "a strategic choice for Europe." Turkey’s geographic location and ongoing membership talks with the European Union give it an edge to assume the OSCE secretary-general post during a period of turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa, said Ambassador Ersin Ercin. "Turkey is a country that very well understands the sensitivities of the East and the West and can realize the urgently needed compromise within the organization," Ercin, President Abdullah Gul’s special envoy for European security, said in an interview. Diplomatic circles praise Ercin as a strong pick in light of recent developments in Tunisia and Egypt, which have demonstrated Turkey’s importance to regional security and stability. Ercin, pledging to be a "confident, visionary, dynamic and energetic" OSCE head, faces challenges from three EU candidates: former Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik; Lamberto Zannier, a career Italian diplomat currently in charge of the UN mission in Kosovo; and Joao Soares from Portugal, the former head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. /Hurriyet Daily News/

US STATE OF KANSAS WELCOMES TURKISH OFFICIALS

A friendship reception between Turkey and the US state of Kansas was held over the weekend in the capital of Topeka, with the participation of high-level Turkish and Kansan officials. The reception was co-sponsored by the Houston-based Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (TCAE) and the Raindrop Turkish House. Delegates from Parliament, including Adana Deputy Fatos Gurkan, Adiyaman Deputy Fehmi Husrev Kutlu, and Denizli Deputy Mithat Ekici, all from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), as well as Kansas Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer and Kansas Senate President Stephen Morris, attended. Colyer and other senators present at the event said they would like to visit Turkey as soon as possible. Before the reception, the Turkish delegation paid a courtesy visit to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback at his office. The Turkish deputies later visited Kansas Secretary of Commerce Pat George, who said during the meeting that Turkey and Kansas can boost commercial ties in the field of agriculture and agricultural machines. After the visit to George, the Turkish delegation met with Colyer and Derek Schmidt, the state’s attorney general. Colyer and Schmidt stressed during the meeting that they place importance on Turkish-US relations and that such visits can boost ties between the two countries. The delegation was also invited to the opening ceremony of the Kansas House of Representatives, where they were warmly welcomed. They also visited the Kansas Senate. /Today’s Zaman/