TURKEY WANTS TO OPEN TURKISH SCHOOLS IN FRANCE

WorldBulletin.net
April 8 2010
Turkey

The Turkish premier said that Turkey was fulfilling a historic
constitutional amendment.

The Turkish premier said on Wednesday that Turkey was fulfilling a
historic constitutional amendment.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met members of Turkish
community living in Europe in a meeting in Paris, France and said
Turkey was amending its constitution to have a legal system in line
with European standards and to have a democracy in line with that in
Europe and contemporary countries.

"When we achieve this, nobody can obstruct Turkey’s growth,"
Erdogan said.

Erdogan said his government wanted to make Turkey be one of the top
ten economies in the world by 2023.

The prime minister said 2010 and 2011 would be the years in which
Turkey would most rapidly grow.

Erdogan called on Turkish citizens to make use of dual citizenship
right granted by France, and cast votes and had a chance to be elected
in that country.

Also, Erdogan said Turkey had almost integrated to European
institutions with its economy and foreign policy.

"With its 73 million population, young and dynamic labor force and
educated people, Turkey is coming to European Union (EU) to undertake
burden, not to be a burden on the union, and to add vision and power,"
he said.

Erdogan asked the Turkish citizens living in European countries to
go on promoting Turkey.

The prime minister said Turkish citizens should never have any
problems in integrating to the society of the countries they were
living, but said assimilation was another thing and nobody could ask
them to get assimilated.

Erdogan hinted Turkey might open Turkish schools in France, and was
working on establishing consulates in Bordeaux and Nantes.

Prime Minister Erdogan said French President Nicolas Sarkozy might
visit Turkey till the end of this year, and a visit to Istanbul would
launch a new process between Turkish and French businessmen.

Erdogan said Turkey would work to open new chapters with the EU, and
said he did not think two countries would face problems in overcoming
several problems, including the Armenian allegations regarding the
incidents of 1915.

"I may meet Armenian President Serzh Sargsian in the United States,"
he also said.

Erdogan also said his special envoy had returned to Turkey from
Armenia, and he would meet with his special envoy.

On Tuesday, Erdogan attended the closing ceremony of "Season of Turkey"
events in France.

Turkish culture was introduced in France with more than 600 events
in 120 cities throughout "Season of Turkey" for nine months.

Earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan met French President Nicolas Sarkozy,
Prime Minister Francois Fillon and French Parliament Speaker Bernard
Accoyer.

After addressing Turkish people, Erdogan returned to Turkey.