TURKISH PREMIER SAYS ANKARA CONTINUING NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN

Anadolu Agency
March 16 2010
Turkey

London, 16 March: Turkey’s prime minister said on Tuesday [16 March]
that Turkey continued to hold intense talks with Iran regarding the
nuclear issue.

Appearing at a news conference following his meeting with British
Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan commented on Turkey’s stance regarding Iran’s nuclear
programme.

Noting that Turkey did not want any nuclear weapons neither in its
region nor in the world, Erdogan said his country believed that the
situation could be solved by diplomatic means.

"Previously, sanctions were implemented in different ways for two
times. If a new sanction is being considered, it will be the third
one. Diplomacy is needed for a solution," Erdogan said.

Commenting on his talks with the British prime minister, Erdogan said
Turkey and Britain had political, military, economic, commercial and
cultural relations.

Expressing Britain’s support for Turkey’s EU bid, Erdogan said the
country was one of the major investors in Turkey.

Erdogan also said Cyprus issue and the situation in the Middle East
were on the agenda of his gathering with Brown.

Upon a question on the Swedish prime minister’s recent remarks on the
Armenian resolution adopted by his country’s parliament, Erdogan said
his Swedish counterpart’s statement, which expressed sorrow over the
politicization of historical incidents, was important.