GUL HELPS FREE GUARDIAN JOURNALIST IN LIBYA
After recently playing a role in the release of two German journalists in Iran at the request of his German counterpart Christian Wulff, President Abdullah Gul now has helped obtain the release of a correspondent for Britain’s The Guardian after he was arrested in Libya. The journalist was set free Wednesday. The newspaper assigned its Iraqi correspondent Ghait Abdulahad to cover developments in Libya, but Abdulahad was arrested in that country. Gul told the Foreign Ministry to contact Libyan authorities after The Guardian asked him to mediate, said the Anatolia news agency. A senior Turkish diplomat confirmed that London and the British newspaper called on Gul after Abdulahad’s arrest. Turkey has been representing British interests in Libya since democratic protests turned into a violent conflict about a month ago. Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian’s managing editor, thanked Gul for his help.
PM ERDOGAN: "OIL SUPPLY PROBLEMS WITH THE SAMSUN-CEYHAN PIPELINE HAVE BEEN RESOLVED"
Transit fees on the Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline are not an issue between Ankara and Moscow, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters yesterday after returning from a trip to the Russian Federation. Erdogan said investments on the Samsun-Ceyhan route were first started by Italian company ENI and Turkey’s Calik with an intergovernmental agreement and that later Russia got involved in the project. Erdogan said there had been problems, especially on the oil supply, but with Russia’s involvement these were resolved.
ERDOGAN: "TURKEY IS SEEKING DEMOCRACY, NOT CLOUT, IN THE MIDEAST"Turkey wants only peace, democracy and the rule of law in its region, not to boost its influence for ulterior motives, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip in a speech at a Russian university yesterday. Erdogan told students at the Kazan Privoljskiy Federal University in Russia’s autonomous Republic of Tatarstan that while Turkey has been resolving longstanding problems with its neighbors, it’s also been working to contribute to peace and stability in the Caucasus, Middle East and Balkans. Turkey and Russia are showing exemplary cooperation in solving problems with their neighbors, he said, and this cooperation will continue to grow. Erdogan added that Turkey is trying to build a relationship based on cooperation and solidarity in a region where Turkey and Tatarstan share a history, culture and faith. Erdogan had talks with President Dmitry Medvedev and other officials during his visit to Moscow this week, which he said ushered in a new era between Turkey and Russia. In his speech, Erdogan also called on Russian officials to help Turkish contractors complete infrastructure for the 2013 Summer Universiade games, set to be held in Kazan, Tatarstan. Erdogan added that the current level of trade, direct investment and tourism between Turkey and Tatarstan falls short of its potential, and so the two need to boost solidarity, communication and cooperation. He also said he hopes Turkey and Tatarstan will reach new heights in every area, starting with the construction of facilities for the 2013 Universiade.
BAGIS: "WITHOUT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, THERE IS NO DEMOCRACY"Turkey’s government pays more attention to freedom of the press than everyone else in the country, said State Minister and Chief European Union Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis in Washington on Wednesday. Bagis, on an official visit to the US, made the remarks after meeting with Joao Vale de Almeida, the head of the EU’s Delegation to the US. Bagis told reporters that a country with no freedom of the press cannot have democracy, and a country without democracy lacks credibility in the EU membership process. But working for the press isn’t a license to break the law, he added. "If it is determined that a press member was detained in order to restrain his or her freedom of expression, then we will advocate for that person to the utmost," Bagis said.
VISITING WASHINGTON, BAGIS SEES NO SIGN OF "GENOCIDE" RESOLUTION COMING TO US CONGRESS
State Minister and Chief European Union Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis, in Washington for talks with US officials, on Wednesday said he sees no signs of a so-called Armenian "genocide" resolution coming before the US Congress ahead of next month’s "Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day." Bagis said Turkey’s ambassador, Turkish groups, and Turkish expatriates have worked to prevent such resolutions from being introduced, and that Armenian lobbyist groups show no signs of introducing one. Bagis called such resolutions "illogical," adding that Turkey’s American friends clearly understand its sensitivities on the issue. Bagis also welcomed US officials’ support for Turkey’s EU membership bid, saying that every US president since Ronald Reagan has made positive and constructive statements on Turkey’s EU aspirations.
96th ANNIVERSARY OF CANAKKALE VICTORY COMMEMORATED
Today, the 96th anniversary of the Canakkale Naval Victory, President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend ceremonies in Canakkale to commemorate the event. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), will visit Seyit Onbasi, a veteran of the battle, in the village of Koca Seyit, Balikesir. The ambassadors of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and France will place wreaths at the Canakkale Martyrs’ Memorial.
CAGLAYAN: "AFTER THE CRISIS ENDS, TURKISH FIRMS WILL RETURN TO LIBYA"
Unlike most foreign firms, Turkish firms will go back to Libya after the crisis has passed, said State Minister Zafer Caglayan yesterday. "Turkish firms do business in the toughest places," he added. "We Turks are a bold, daring people. There are still (Turkish) firms working in Libya." Caglayan also said he expects things to return to normal in Libya soon.
URKEY STEPS IN TO CALM BAHRAIN SPAT
Turkey, emerging as an intermediary in the spat between Iran and Saudi Arabia after the latter’s intervention in Bahrain, has submitted a set of proposals in an effort to soothe tensions. According to diplomatic sources, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke Wednesday with his counterparts from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The sources declined to detail the contents of Turkey’s proposals, but said Davutoglu warned his counterparts not to exacerbate problems in the delicate Middle East. He warned of the dangers of a sectarian clash in Bahrain and expressed full support for continued political reform there. "We are closely following the developments in Bahrain," said a Foreign Ministry statement yesterday. The ministry described the escalating tension between the parties in Bahrain – taking place despite its rulers’ calls for dialogue – as an "unfortunate development." Anti-government protests began in Bahrain last month. Bahraini forces imposed a curfew and began to intervene against the protestors on Wednesday. The latest crisis between the country’s Shiite majority and its dominant Sunni minority has also, with the arrival of Saudi troops, laid bare regional hostilities between Sunni Arab countries and non-Arab Shiite Iran.