Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Russia made the headlines in almost all Turkish newspapers yesterday. Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier on Tuesday to start inter-delegation meetings between Turkey and Russia. Erdogan also was scheduled to meet with Russian business representatives and attend the opening of a Turkish trade center in Moscow. Some 600 Turkish business executives accompanied him to Moscow. As many other newspapers referred to the meeting between Turkey and Russia with almost the same headline, "Gesture on Cyprus from Moscow," Radikal reported the event more deliberately. It said that Putin criticized the isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) but spoke with the pretext of the Russian veto concerning the resolution submitted by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that included a call for easing the isolation on the KKTC. Putin reportedly said, "We do not think that the economic isolation of northern Cypriots is fair." Last April, Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution put forward by the United States and Britain, Cyprus' former colonial power, to encourage Greek and Turkish Cypriots to adopt a U.N. plan to unify the Mediterranean island.
Radikal also said the relationship had been strengthened between Turkey and Russia. Accordingly, Russia will celebrate a year as "Turkish Year" and Turkey will in turn celebrate a "Russian Year."
Yeni Ãafak said the inter-delegation meetings between Turkey and Russia were dominated by the Cyprus issue. Putin said he spoke to Annan earlier on Tuesday. "With regard to our future position, we will support the plan of U.N. Secretary-General Annan to find a solution to the Cyprus dispute," Yeni Ãafak quoted Putin as saying.
[HH] Trade relations between Turkey and Russia:
Speaking during a meeting held at the President Hotel with some 600 Turkish business executives accompanying Erdoðan, Putin said their countries should increase trade to $25 billion a year, Yeni Ãafak reported.
"Yours and my best expectations for the development of economic relations have come true. I agree with the prognosis that trade turnover could reach $25 billion in the near future," Putin said.
Putin said that Tuesday's talks were focused on improving cooperation in energy, transportation, social welfare and the weapons trade.
Milliyet reported that issues such as the problems between Armenia and Turkey and the reconstruction of Iraq were also discussed and that a resolution had been reached. Putin said Russia could act as a mediator between Armenia and Turkey. Erdoðan replied, "We don't want a resentful neighbor [Armenia]," Milliyet reported.
[HH] US doesn't abandon Incirlik base request:
The visit of Gen. John Abizaid, the U.S. officer in charge of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, made the headlines in daily Cumhuriyet. Referring to previous reports, Cumhuriyet said the U.S has not abandoned its request to expand the use of Ãncirlik air base in southern Turkey. The U.S. Air Force currently has refueling aircraft at the base and is reportedly eager to move combat aircraft back to the facility. Warplanes were withdrawn before the Iraq war.
Officials from the Foreign Ministry, however, said Abizaid made no formal request to expand usage of the base. The base continues to be used under a U.N. decision solely for logistical purposes. Cumhuriyet said Turkey rejected the request made by the United States to use the base for operations in Iraq two years ago.
[HH] Turkey demands US act against PKK:
Cumhuriyet said among the issues discussed with Abizaid was that of the struggle against outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants that have been reported to be located mainly at and around the Kandil Mountains, near the Iranian border of northern Iraq. "We, like the Republic of Turkey, recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization. We agree that over time, we must deal with the PKK," Cumhuriyet quoted Abizaid as saying. Abizaid's comments were taken to mean that the United States still doesn't plan to implement concrete measures against the PKK.
In its own interpretation, Radikal said Abizaid had implicitly mentioned that the issue of the struggle against the PKK is related to the availability of Ãncirlik air base. Radikal claims that the U.S. will take action against the PKK after it gets permission to use the base.
Turkey has listed its demands to the United States for action against the PKK, Radikal reported. The list reportedly includes the removal of the PKK's political, logistical and financial connections and sources. Turkey has demands that the United States take action against the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party (PÃBK) and ban it from participating in the Iraqi elections. The party is said to have been established by the PKK as a branch for northern Iraq.
Turkey Demands, We Request. Somebody needs to tell these guys we've developed a back-up vendor. If they think they can get a better deal from Russia than from the US and UK, they should demand it of Putty during their Russian Year. And how pathetic of Putty to jump in bed with these wackos. Some things never seem to change.