Turkish F.M. Gul Holds A Press Conference On His Meetings In New York

Turkish Press.com
28 sept 04

NEW YORK – Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister
Abdullah Gul said that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told him
that “Turkey became a model for the world thanks to the reforms it
accomplished.” He stated that this transformation in Turkey gave a
positive signal to the world.

Gul, who attended the 59th session of the United Nations General
Assembly, held a press conference on Monday.

“I had meetings with foreign ministers of Iran, Sudan, Thailand,
China, Ukraine, Armenia and Pakistan and met UN Secretary General
today. A meeting of D-8 countries’ foreign ministers was also held. I
attended this meeting and took the floor. All those meetings were
very fruitful,” Gul said.

Stating that Annan and himself discussed Cyprus and Iraq, Gul said
that he told Annan that the number of Turkish citizens working for
the UN is very low.

Answering a question, Gul said that Greek Cypriot press reports
saying that Annan would undertake a new initiative on Cyprus were
not discussed during the meeting.

“On the contrary, I told him that we support his plan. Turkish
Cypriots voted in favor of it. Turkish Cypriots said (yes), while the
other side said (no). I told him ‘thus, Turkish Cypriot side should
be awarded now’, noting that we expect him to lead on this issue. He
said that he mentioned clearly those things in his report and he will
do what is necessary.”

-CHINA-

Gul said that Chinese Foreign Minister and himself discussed bilateral
relations in their meeting.

Stating that there was a great gap in trade between Turkey and China,
Gul said that trade volume between the two countries amounted to 2.6
billion U.S. dollars. He noted that China exports goods worth of 2
billion U.S. dollars while Turkey exports goods worth the remaining
600 million U.S. dollars.

“I said in the meeting that this gap should be closed. I also
said that China should give Turkish businessmen more opportunity,”
he noted.

“I also asked Chinese Foreign Minister that China should announce
Turkey as a destination for Chinese tourists. They said that they
will work on the matter,” he noted.

-IRAN-

Gul also had a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazzi.

“As you know, Iranian President Khatami postponed his visit to
Turkey. He phoned (Turkish) President and Prime Minister and said that
he wants to pay a visit to Turkey as soon as possible. We considered
this normal,” Gul said.

Stating that Iran’s nuclear studies were discussed in the meeting,
Gul said, “Kharrazzi informed me on the issue. He said that they were
carrying out those studies for peaceful aims. He also noted that they
support the idea to establish a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.”

“I told him that their cooperation with International Atom Energy
Agency and (Iran’s) compliance with international agreements will be
good for them,” he noted.

Answering a question, Gul said that there was a good relationship
between Turkey and Iran.”

-SUDAN-

Informing reporters on his meeting with Sudanese Foreign Minister
Mustafa Othman Ismail, Gul said, “Darfur is one of the most important
matters on the international agenda. Thus, peaceful solution of this
problem is very important. Some tragedies of humanity have been
taking place there.”

Recalling that they sent an aid convoy to Darfur in recent weeks,
Gul said, “the minister thanked me. I told him that we will deal
with the issue. Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) should be
active on this issue. After Prof. Ekmelleddin Ihsanoglu undertakes
the office as secretary general of OIC, the organization will be more
active on this issue.”

-ARMENIA-

Gul said that Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian informed
him on the on-going talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, stating,
“presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met last month. He informed me
on this issue. Foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan met four
times in Prague. He also talked about results of those meetings. I
said that we will continue to play the role of catalyst between the
two countries.”