ANKARA, LONDON TO SIGN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENT
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 19 2007
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan is expected to sign a strategic
partnership document with his British counterpart, Gordon Brown,
during his visit to London later this month, the Prime Ministry
announced on Thursday.
A similar document was signed at the time between Turkey and the United
States, the two NATO allies which have been facing a troubled period
in their bilateral relations. Problems have arisen between the two both
due to Turkey’s intention to launch a military operation into northern
Iraq in order to tackle the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)
bases there and the recent approval of a resolution by a US House
committee labeling World War I-era killings of Anatolian Armenians
"genocide." In July 2006 a "shared vision document" was unveiled by
then-Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, now Turkish president, and US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, which they said would boost what
they described "the two nations’ strategic partnership."
Britain has all along been a firm supporter of Turkey’s bid to become
a full member of the European Union. It has also been a key ally of
the US-led invasion of Iraq. This month, Brown announced plans to cut
Britain’s troops in southern Iraq by more than half by next spring,
to some 2,500, while unidentified officials have suggested all British
forces could be out by the end of 2008.
Earlier this week, while warning that any Turkish incursion into Iraq
would have "grave consequences" for the region, Iraqi Deputy Prime
Minister Barham Salih also said that British troops would be needed
in the violence-scarred country "for some time to come."
"We know that more British troops will withdraw from Basra, in large
measure because there is confidence in the Iraqi forces in the Basra
area to assume the lead in security management in the region. We
still have challenges in Basra and I don’t want to underestimate the
challenges ahead, but at the end of the day there has to be a point
where Iraqi security services assume the lead. We can’t count on
outsiders — our friends — forever. We definitely will need continued
British support for some time to come," Salih said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Prime Ministry also announced that, during his visit
scheduled for Oct. 22-23, Erdoðan will also pay a visit to the British
parliament where he will hold meetings with speakers of both the
House of Lords and the House of Commons.
While in Britain Erdoðan will deliver a speech at the Oxford Union,
a prestigious debating society, and will explain the Turkish foreign
policy’s regional and global vision, goals and priorities.
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