Iran may ask Turkey to mediate in nuclear talks with six major powers when it plays host in Istanbul next month, euronews reprots. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held closed-door talks with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, on a visit to the city this week.
Posts Tagged ‘abdullah gul’
Turkish president visits Bosnia
September 3rd, 2010 |
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Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in Sarajevo on Thursday his country was “ready to increase current political and economic cooperation” with Bosnia. He underlined that Bosnia had to “quickly and courageously” work on its European integration.
Tadić in Istanbul for trilateral meeting
April 24th, 2010 |
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The presidents of Turkey and Serbia, Abdullah Gul and Boris Tadić, and Bosnian Presidency chairman Haris Silajdžić will be meeting in Istanbul.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the summit in Istanbul would be an “important step for the Balkans.â€
Tadić to meet with Turkish, Bosnian officials
April 22nd, 2010 |
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Serbian and Turkish Presidents Boris Tadić and Abdullah Gul and Chairman of the Bosnian Presidency Haris Silajdžić will meet in Istanbul on Saturday.
They will discuss strengthening of peace and stability in the Balkans, Tanjug learned at Tadić’s cabinet late on Wednesday.
Turkey to help Pak meet energy needs
April 1st, 2010 |
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LAHORE – Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Thursday said that people in his country were fully aware of the energy crisis in Pakistan and Turkey would provide all possible help to overcome the power shortage.
Addressing the Pak-Turkey CEO forum organised by Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) at a local hotel here, Abdullah Gul said Turkey had vast experience in the construction sector with worldÂ’s second largest fleet of 250 construction companies after China, building dams and other mega projects.
Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
Gul observed that people of Pakistan had proved their talent in the business sector all over the world which needed to be utilised to expand mutual trade between the two brotherly countries.
The Turkish President said there was a huge scope of investment and trade between Pakistan and Turkey. “The trade volume between the two countries can be enhanced to billions of dollars,” he added.
He said both countries were inter-linked with time-tested and all-weather friendship. He said a rail link would be developed between Pakistan and Turkey via Iran to minimise the travel time and boost trade.
Gul praised the historic importance of Lahore and the warm welcome and hospitality, he received in the City. He also lauded the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Dr Muhammad Iqbal and their role in the creation of Pakistan.
Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said relations between Turkey and Pakistan are based on common religion, culture and civilisation and the people of both the countries are bonded together in deep-rooted ties of selfless love, brotherhood and sincerity.
He said Pak-Turk friendship was a spirit, which words could not encompass. However, he said, there was a need for translating these brotherly and fraternal relations into trade and economic cooperation.
Turk President Abdullah Gul especially participated in Pak-Turk CEO Forum while Interior Minister Rehman Malik, provincial ministers Rana Sanaullah Khan and Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh, members national and provincial assemblies, president Lahore Chamber of Commerce and prominent traders and businessmen of both the countries were also present on the occasion.
The CM while welcoming the distinguished guests said the visit of the Turkish President and his delegation to Lahore was an extraordinary and memorable event, adding that the bilateral relations went beyond the geographical limits, which had stood the test of time. He said the government and people of Turkey had always supported Pakistan in the hour of need and Turkey made the largest financial contribution for the relief of the earthquake victims in Pakistan.
He said Turkey was among the first few countries, which recognised Pakistan after its creation in 1947 and the people of the two countries had a unanimous stance on a number of international issues.
Referring to his recent visit to Turkey, the chief minister said he personally experienced love and affection of the Turkish people for their Pakistani brethren and the hospitality shown to the visiting delegation from Pakistan was memorable. He said the rapid progress made by Turkey in economic sector was enviable and there was a need for Pakistan to benefit from this potential through increasing trade relations with Turkey.
He said it was a matter of satisfaction that a large trade delegation was also accompanying the Turk president, which would result in providing a strong economic base for bilateral relations. He said Punjab government was setting up a special industrial zone for Turk investors in Faisalabad and 225 acres of land had already been allocated for this purpose, which would be given free of cost.
He accepted the fact that the recent incidents of terrorism had adversely affected industrial and economic activities; however, he said a favourable atmosphere for investment still existed in Punjab, adding that Pakistan was not the only country facing terrorism.
He said Turkey had also encountered this problem for a number of years but it succeeded in countering the challenge with courage and determination. He said Pakistan would also be able to overcome the menace in near future.
Shahbaz appreciated that the mayor of Istanbul would help in solid waste management in Lahore. He said the arrival of Turk businessmen under the leadership of President Abdullah Gul to Lahore would help in strengthening the existing friendly ties.
He also thanked the delegation for visiting the cultural hub of the country and said their arrival had added colour and fragrance to the spring while the memories of this visit would always remain fresh in the minds of the people of Lahore.
Earlier, Vice Chairman Punjab Investment Board Pir Saad Ahsanuddin, in his welcoming address, identified the investment opportunities in Punjab. An agreement was also signed on this occasion regarding Punjab-Turk Economic Zone.
Turks and Armenians: The cost of reconstruction
March 11th, 2010 |
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It takes many hands to reconcile two peoples so divided by history
FOR centuries, a stone bridge spanning the emerald green waters of the Akhurian River connected the southern Caucasus to the Anatolian plains: a strategic pivot on the Silk Road, running through the ancient Armenian kingdom of Ani. Today the bridge would have linked tiny, landlocked Armenia to Turkey. But war and natural disasters have reduced it to a pair of stubs—a sad commentary on the relations between the two states.
This grim image prompted an Ankara-based think-tank, called Tepav, to devise a plan to rebuild the bridge and in so doing to reopen the long-sealed land border by stealth. “The idea is to promote reconciliation through cross-border tourism,” explains Tepav’s director, Guven Sak. Turkey’s doveish president, Abdullah Gul, has embraced the plan. The Armenian authorities and diaspora Armenians with deep pockets are also interested. If all went to plan, the bridge’s restoration would only be the start of a broader effort to repair hundreds of other Armenian architectural treasures scattered across Turkey. …
Turkey still supports Kosovo, says president
February 3rd, 2010 |
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Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that Turkey will continue to support Kosovo. At a joint press conference in Ankara with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, Gul said that “relations between Kosovo and Serbia†should be based on dialogue and understanding.
Serbia, Turkey “back each other’s path to EU”
October 27th, 2009 |
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Serbian and Turkish Presidents Boris Tadić and Abdullah Gul said that the two countries support one another’s paths towards European integration. Serbian and Turkish Presidents Boris Tadić and Abdullah Gul said that the two countries support one another’s paths towards European integration.
Turkish president starts Serbia visit
October 26th, 2009 |
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Turkish President Abdullah Gul met with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadić to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries. The two presidents appraised that these relations are at a “strategic partnership level”.
No speech in parliament for Turkish leader
October 24th, 2009 |
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Turkish President Abdullah Gul will not address the Serbian parliament on Monday. His speech to Serbian MPs was announced earlier as part of his visit to Belgrade.
Second Turkish ‘plot’ trial opens
July 20th, 2009 |
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Fifty-six people, including two retired generals, journalists and academics, have gone on trial in Turkey accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
Prosecutors say they were members of a shadowy ultranationalist network – dubbed Ergenekon – which allegedly aimed to provoke a military coup.
The two generals, who are in their 60s, could face life in prison if convicted.
This is the second court case related to the Ergenekon case. Another 86 suspects went on trial in October.
The investigation has strained relations between the governing AK Party, which has its roots in political Islam, and the military, which considers itself the guardian of Turkey’s secular constitution.
Last week, President Abdullah Gul approved a new law giving civilian courts the power to try military personnel suspected of threatening national security or having links to organised crime.
‘Coup plans’
Forty-four of the defendants were present inside the courtroom at the heavily-guarded Silivri prison on the outskirts of Istanbul on Monday to hear the charges against them read out.
Gen Hursit Tolon, a former army commander, looked relaxed as he answered questions from the four-judge panel after being accused of masterminding a terrorist group and inciting armed rebellion against the government.
His co-accused, Gen Sener Eruygur, a former commander of the paramilitary gendarmerie forces, was not present because of ill-health.
According to the 1,909-page indictment, the two men "began implementing the coup plans they drew up in 2003-2004 while in office and continued their activities after they retired".
The allegations first surfaced in March 2007, when a magazine published excerpts from the purported diary of a former navy commander, which described how Gen Eruygur and several other senior officers had plotted coups but failed to secure the support of the heads of the armed forces.
After retiring, the indictment says, the two men used civil society groups to incite public opinion against the AKP-led government.
At the same time, it alleges, they helped set up Ergenekon, which is accused of being behind several violent attacks, including the bombing of a secularist newspaper in 2006 and an attack on the country’s top administrative court in the same year, in which a judge died.
Targeting those key parts of the secular establishment were supposed to foment chaos and to provoke Turkey’s military into launching a coup in defence of secular interests, it is alleged.
‘Lie’
Other prominent suspected Ergenekon members who went on trial on Monday include two journalists who have frequently criticised the government, Mustafa Balbay and Tuncay Ozkan; two university rectors; and the head of the Ankara chamber of commerce.
All the defendants deny the charges, saying they are politically motivated and designed to undermine the AK Party’s opponents.
About 200 people demonstrated against the trial outside the court building on Monday, many holding portraits of Ataturk, the secularist founder of modern Turkey.
"This trial is a lie. They are fabricating evidence to arrest Ataturk’s followers," one protestor, Suzan Demirten, told the Associated Press.
The BBC’s David O’Byrne in Istanbul says it is unclear if the presiding judge will now decide to merge the proceedings with the ongoing trial of the 86 other suspects in the Ergenekon case, who include several other senior military personnel.
What is certain, however, is that few Turks doubt that at least some truth lies behind the accusations of coup plotting by elements of the military, our correspondent says.
And equally few doubt that whatever the result of the trials, the delicate balance of power between the Turkey’s political and military elites has changed irrevocably, he adds.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.