Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan talks to Russian President
Vladimir Putin before a closed-to-press meeting on Friday in St.
Petersburg. (Photo: Today’s Zaman)
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on Russian
President Vladimir Putin to let Turkey join the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) during a joint press conference the two leaders held
in St. Petersburg.
“Include us in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and relieve us
from this pain,” Erdoğan told Putin in an implicit reference to Turkey’s
long European Union membership process.
On Friday, Erdoğan first had a tête-à-tête with Putin and then the two leaders attended the fourth meeting of the High Level Cooperation Council (ÜDİK), which was created between the two countries on May 12, 2010. Erdoğan, accompanied by a group of Turkish ministers and journalists, has been in St. Petersburg since Thursday for top-level talks and was due to return to Turkey late Friday.
“Besides, we are also ready to ink free trade agreements with countries in Eurasia,” added Erdoğan.
Evaluating Ukraine’s decision to suspend preparations for signing a free trade and a political association agreement with the EU, Putin, in a teasing comment, said Russia is eager to make use of Turkey’s experience with the European bloc. The Turkish prime minister responded in a similar way to Putin on Turkish-EU ties, saying: “Well said. Turkey has 50 years of experience.”
Erdoğan said he has spoken about Turkey’s request to be a member of the SCO to Putin before, adding that Turkey attaches importance to this issue.
In late January, Erdoğan said Turkey was seriously considering seeking membership in the SCO, a remark that caused serious concerns and confusion in the country that has been seeking membership in the EU for a long while. His remarks had come at a time when Turkey and the European Union failed to make substantial progress in their accession talks and was seen as a protest to some European heavyweights that have been blocking Turkey’s membership.
When he raised the SCO membership in January, Erdoğan advocated that the Shanghai Five is a better and more powerful organization than the EU with which Turkey has more common values.
The SCO is a mutual-security organization that was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The other countries, with the exception of Uzbekistan, had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organization.
Turkey was accepted as a dialogue partner by the Shanghai Five at its annual summit in Beijing on June 7, 2012.
ARABAŞLIK- Erdoğan, Putin say Geneva II should take place as soon as possible
The two leaders also discussed the Syrian crisis and an international conference, known as Geneva II, which aims to bring together representatives from the Syrian regime and the opposition coalition, during their close-to-press talks on Friday.
Russia and Turkey disagree on the Syrian crisis, with Moscow supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad and Ankara backing the opposition, which has been struggling to oust the Syrian regime in the more than two-and-a-half-year crisis.
During the press conference, Putin said Western states must persuade the Syrian opposition to attend Geneva II, adding that the conference should take place as soon as possible.
Russia and the United States announced plans in May to convene Geneva II to try to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed well over 100,000 people since March 2011. However, no date has been set. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said this month that the target was now mid-December.
“Russia took on the responsibility of convincing the Syrian leadership. We did our part. It is up to our partners, who must convince the opposition to do the same,” Putin added.
Putin, who said his telephone conversation with Assad last week was their first direct contact since 2007, said the Syrian leader cares about the humanitarian crisis in his country. Putin said radical militants were to blame for much of the violence.
Erdoğan said, however, the regime bears the primary responsibility for the bloodshed in Syria. Agreeing with Putin gathering the Geneva II as soon as possible, Erdoğan said delays to the peace conference were simply buying time for Assad.
“I want to call on the whole world from St. Petersburg once more about Syria. A total of 1,500 civilians were killed with chemical weapons in Syria, while 150,000 people were killed with conventional weapons. The civilian population has been killed with planes, helicopters, tanks and shells. In Syria, the regime bears the primary responsibility for this,” added Erdoğan.
The Turkish prime minster acknowledged that the radical groups were also responsible for the havoc in neighboring Syria. He noted, however, the radicals do not have heavy arms like the Syrian regime does.
The two leaders also discussed the role of Assad in a transitional government that is expected to be formed if Geneva II ends in success. However, media reports say Erdoğan and Putin failed to progress in issues of Assad’s role in transitional government and other details about the Syrian crisis.
TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
http://www.anixneuseis.gr/?p=81505
On Friday, Erdoğan first had a tête-à-tête with Putin and then the two leaders attended the fourth meeting of the High Level Cooperation Council (ÜDİK), which was created between the two countries on May 12, 2010. Erdoğan, accompanied by a group of Turkish ministers and journalists, has been in St. Petersburg since Thursday for top-level talks and was due to return to Turkey late Friday.
“Besides, we are also ready to ink free trade agreements with countries in Eurasia,” added Erdoğan.
Evaluating Ukraine’s decision to suspend preparations for signing a free trade and a political association agreement with the EU, Putin, in a teasing comment, said Russia is eager to make use of Turkey’s experience with the European bloc. The Turkish prime minister responded in a similar way to Putin on Turkish-EU ties, saying: “Well said. Turkey has 50 years of experience.”
Erdoğan said he has spoken about Turkey’s request to be a member of the SCO to Putin before, adding that Turkey attaches importance to this issue.
In late January, Erdoğan said Turkey was seriously considering seeking membership in the SCO, a remark that caused serious concerns and confusion in the country that has been seeking membership in the EU for a long while. His remarks had come at a time when Turkey and the European Union failed to make substantial progress in their accession talks and was seen as a protest to some European heavyweights that have been blocking Turkey’s membership.
When he raised the SCO membership in January, Erdoğan advocated that the Shanghai Five is a better and more powerful organization than the EU with which Turkey has more common values.
The SCO is a mutual-security organization that was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The other countries, with the exception of Uzbekistan, had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organization.
Turkey was accepted as a dialogue partner by the Shanghai Five at its annual summit in Beijing on June 7, 2012.
ARABAŞLIK- Erdoğan, Putin say Geneva II should take place as soon as possible
The two leaders also discussed the Syrian crisis and an international conference, known as Geneva II, which aims to bring together representatives from the Syrian regime and the opposition coalition, during their close-to-press talks on Friday.
Russia and Turkey disagree on the Syrian crisis, with Moscow supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad and Ankara backing the opposition, which has been struggling to oust the Syrian regime in the more than two-and-a-half-year crisis.
During the press conference, Putin said Western states must persuade the Syrian opposition to attend Geneva II, adding that the conference should take place as soon as possible.
Russia and the United States announced plans in May to convene Geneva II to try to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed well over 100,000 people since March 2011. However, no date has been set. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said this month that the target was now mid-December.
“Russia took on the responsibility of convincing the Syrian leadership. We did our part. It is up to our partners, who must convince the opposition to do the same,” Putin added.
Putin, who said his telephone conversation with Assad last week was their first direct contact since 2007, said the Syrian leader cares about the humanitarian crisis in his country. Putin said radical militants were to blame for much of the violence.
Erdoğan said, however, the regime bears the primary responsibility for the bloodshed in Syria. Agreeing with Putin gathering the Geneva II as soon as possible, Erdoğan said delays to the peace conference were simply buying time for Assad.
“I want to call on the whole world from St. Petersburg once more about Syria. A total of 1,500 civilians were killed with chemical weapons in Syria, while 150,000 people were killed with conventional weapons. The civilian population has been killed with planes, helicopters, tanks and shells. In Syria, the regime bears the primary responsibility for this,” added Erdoğan.
The Turkish prime minster acknowledged that the radical groups were also responsible for the havoc in neighboring Syria. He noted, however, the radicals do not have heavy arms like the Syrian regime does.
The two leaders also discussed the role of Assad in a transitional government that is expected to be formed if Geneva II ends in success. However, media reports say Erdoğan and Putin failed to progress in issues of Assad’s role in transitional government and other details about the Syrian crisis.
TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
http://www.anixneuseis.gr/?p=81505
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