Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Feb 25 2009
Turkish minister wants to boost economic relations with USA
Istanbul, 25 February: Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said [on]
Wednesday [25 February], "The prevention of future financial crisis
may not be possible without a global approach".
Speaking at a luncheon hosted in Istanbul by the Turkish-American
Business Council, Babacan said that Turkey pays high importance to the
meetings of the G20 countries.
"I believe that the impact of the economic crisis can not be minimized
by the mere efforts of individual countries," Babacan said.
Without a global approach, it would be impossible to avoid future
financial crisis, Babacan said.
Turkey-US relations
"Turkey is the sixth biggest economy in Europe and among the world’s
top 20 economies. Turkey is likely to become one of the top 10
economies in the world by the year 2023, when Turkey will celebrate
the 100th anniversary of the foundation of its republic. There is no
other country developing as rapidly as Turkey," Babacan said.
"Turkish-US economic relations are not satisfactory. The trade volume
between Turkey and the US was 16bn US dollars last year and this
amount may seem good compared to previous years. Nonetheless, there
should be more mutual investments between Turkey and the USA," Babacan
said.
"We have positive expectations on Turkish-US (economic) relations,"
Babacan said.
"Among the topics on the agenda of the new US administration are
Afghanistan and Pakistan. Turkey possesses close, friendly relations
with both of these countries. We worked hard to eradicate problems
between Afghanistan and Pakistan. If correct steps are taken, the
problems in Afghanistan could be solved. US foreign policy will shift
its attention from Iraq to Afghanistan. We believe that regional
security and stability will contribute to global stability and
security," Babacan said.
Touching on Turkey’s foreign policy, Babacan said that a process of
dialogue began with Armenia.
"This is a good process. The process aims to normalize relations with
Armenia. We are moving in the right direction," Babacan said.
"We have decided to open 15 new embassies in Africa," Babacan said.
"We are pursuing projects for development," Babacan said.
"We have opened a new page in relations with India," Babacan said.
"Turkey was elected to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent
member last October. This was possible by winning the hearts of many
countries. We received 151 votes from a total of 192," Babacan said.
"Our efforts received appreciation in all corners of the
world. Turkey’s stance, principles it put forward and values that it
defends have received (positive) response from the global community,"
Babacan also said.