GUL HINTS AT ROLE IN FREEING GERMAN JOURNALISTS
President Abdullah Gul yesterday hinted that he had played an instrumental role in Iran ’s decision to free two German journalists over the weekend. "We do not talk about the favors we do," Gul told reporters in televised remarks, but added, "Certainly I made a request [to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad], I spoke to him. I’m grateful he didn’t let me down." Gul paid a visit to Iran last week, during which he met with Ahmadinejad. Turkish media reports said Gul got a positive response from Ahmadinejad when he pressed for the release of the journalists at the request of his German counterpart Christian Wulff. The two reporters were freed Saturday after a four-month detention over an interview with the son and lawyer of a woman facing death by stoning for adultery. /Hurriyet Daily News/
DEPUTY PM ARINC OPENS FIRST TURKISH UNIVERSITY IN CAMBODIA
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Sunday opened the first Turkish university in the Far East, in Cambodia , a country with a 14-year history of Turkish education. "Our purpose is to serve the youth of this country," said Arinc, speaking at a dinner held in Phnom Penh to celebrate the university’s opening. "We believe that the valuable youth of Cambodia will have access to a very good education at this university, will work to better their country, and will build bridges of friendship between Turkey and Cambodia ." Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An thanked Turkish entrepreneurs for their initiatives in the area of education, adding that the school’s students will bring Turkey and Cambodia closer together. /Today’s Zaman/
ARINC: " TURKEY IS THE EAST’S GATEWAY TO THE WEST, AND THE WEST’S GUIDE TO THE EAST"
Turkey’s widely praised role as a bridge between East and West is also helping both sides economically, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said yesterday. In an address to Turkish and Cambodian businesspeople at a forum in Phnom Penh organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), Arinc said, " Turkey is now the East’s gateway to the West and the West’s guide to the East." In his speech, he touted the economic performance Turkey has posted since 2002, adding that this success has helped Turkey strengthen its unique cultural and geographical position between the East and the West. "Thanks to the high performance it has shown for some time, Turkey has become an extraordinarily rising economy on an international scale, as Europe ’s sixth-largest economy and the world’s 16th-largest," said Arinc. /Today’s Zaman/
DAVUTOGLU: " TUNISIA ’S DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION COULD BE A MODEL FOR OTHER COUNTRIES"
If it can avoid pitfalls on the path to elections, Tunisia ’s revolution could provide a model for other countries seeking reform, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters yesterday on a trip to Tunisia for meetings with the caretaker government. A popular uprising in the North African state last month ended President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s 23 years of rule, sending shockwaves through the Arab world and inspiring a similar revolt in Egypt . Davutoglu arrived in Tunis yesterday with Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Torbjorn Jagland to help Tunisia make a smooth and peaceful transition to democratic rule, saying Tunisia’s peaceful transformation is important because it could set an example for other countries in the region. Davutoglu said Turkey ’s goal is to recalibrate and position events across the Middle East as the result of a "domino effect" to the "proper axis." He said that since the events started in Tunisia , Tunisians showed that, as Arabs, they were able to express their demands through peaceful means and realize the transformation. " Turkey has mobilized all resources for Tunisia during its (current) term as the Council of Europe president," Davutoglu added. /Today’s Zaman/
TURKEY, MALAYSIA AGREE TO BOOST SECURITY COOPERATION
Turkey and Malaysia have agreed on plans to enhance security cooperation, especially in police training, Interior Minister Besir Atalay announced yesterday after meeting with Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein in Ankara . Following their meeting, Atalay told reporters that their talks had focused on security cooperation. He said Malaysia ’s police chief would visit Turkey in April to speed up work on cooperation in police training. Atalay also said he would accompany Hussein today on a tour of the Turkish Police Academy for an on-site briefing about domestic police training. For his part, Hussein said he had had the chance to discuss cooperation between both countries’ police organizations as well as the fight against international crime and terrorism. He said Turkey plays an important role in those areas. /Hurriyet Daily News/
EMINE ERDOGAN TO ADDRESS UN COMMISSION ON WOMEN
Emine Erdogan, the wife of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will speak today at a meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Erdogan will deliver a speech at the opening of the 55th session of the commission. Mrs. Erdogan will tell representatives of 191 countries about the situation of Turkish women and the education of Turkish girls. /Turkiye/
AMID UPHEAVAL, 25,000 TURKS IN LIBYA SET TO BE EVACUATED
Amid protests and a government crackdown in Libya , the Foreign Ministry is launching several initiatives to ensure the safety of Turkish citizens there, including the evacuation of some 25,000 nationals. Two Turkish ferries set sail for Libya yesterday in order to evacuate Turkish citizens. Planes were on standby should Libyan aviation authorities lift a ban on incoming flights at Benghazi International Airport , where some 600 Turks currently await evacuation. /Turkiye/