ANKARA - ''As regards Syrian question, Turkey has been acting in harmony with international community since the beginning'' , Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday.
Gul, who returned to Turkey after his visit to Britain, replied to questions of reporters at Ankara's Esenboga Airport.
When reminded the news reports that US Embassy in Ankara criticized President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's visit to Syria, Gul said the statements made by the Ambassador Eric Edelman afterwards, stressed that intention of the ambassador was reflected differently.
''From the beginning, Turkey has been acting together with the international community on Syrian issue. Everyone knows this. We continue to have consultations both with the allies and with friendly neighboring countries,'' Gul noted.
Gul said, ''solving problems through peaceful means, transforming our region into an island of tranquility and stability, and the establishment of democracy and freedom are the fundamental policies of Turkey. Turkey's place is within the international community. What the ambassador has said was reflected as exceeding his intentions.''
Gul said he had the opportunity to discuss various political and economic issues during his meetings in London, and recalled that Turkey-EU talks will start during Britain's EU presidency. Stating that he conveyed his views about actual status as well as the future of Turkish economy, Gul said he invited foreign entrepreneurs to invest in Turkey.
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Replying to a question about Cyprus, Gul said Britain was among the countries in EU which knows the best about Cyprus and appreciated Turkey's policies. ''They are trying to do their best. I hope there will be an opportunity to make more concrete steps after the elections in May,'' Gul pointed out.
Stressing that Turkey always favored a solution in Cyprus, Gul said, ''a very big opportunity was missed because of the attitude of Greek Cypriots.''
Gul also recalled that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan met in Spain last week. Emphasizing that they were encouraging everybody, mainly Annan, to advocate a solution, Gul said preparations should be carried out carefully as Annan would not like to be unsuccessful when he takes action again.