The president was speaking to a senior-level Kuwaiti press delegation, and stressed that “Kuwaitis know, better than anyone else how important it is to have stability in their geographic context”.
Gul noted his country has strategic relations with the GCC and added relations with Kuwait are unique and excellent. Recalling important Kuwaiti investments here, he expressed a wish to see a boost in economic and trade exchange.
On allowing Kuwaitis to own property in Turkey, he said this is an “important” issue, while clearly specifying the Turkish constitution states on reciprocal treatment in the other direction. He added the authorities are considering an exemption for GCC nationals.
On visiting Kuwait, Gul recalled his visits when he served as foreign minister and during his current presidency during celebrations marking the 50th independence and 20th liberation anniversaries had been on the invitation of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The Amir has also visited Turkey twice, first in 2008 when cooperation agreements in many fields were signed and again in 2009 to take part in an economic summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
On the situation in Syria, Gul said “the continuation of the bloodbath in Syria pains us, and we hope the crisis ends in a manner that is to the benefit of the Syrian people and the region”.
Members of the delegation remarked that after a very harsh language on the part of Turkey regarding the Syrian regime’s massacres of its people, Turkey seems to have “slacked”. To this the president responded by stressing that “Turkey’s action in this regard must not be misconstrued.
Our country opted to work in coordination with the Arab League”. Turkey, he added, is fully behind the Arab initiative to end the Syrian crisis.
Gul said the situation in Syria is very alarming, “and the developments in our southern neighbor warn of a slip to civil war. Turkey therefore opted to cooperate with the League to avert such a scenario.” He recalled that the Syrians who fled to his country now number some 11,000 refugees.
“I had warned Al-Assad that he had better initiate reform before the Arab Spring knocks his doors, but he gave this no heed and unfortunately he resorted to military might instead to clamp down on the protests, to which we are completely opposed.”
Gul said the ‘Friends of Syria’ conference Istanbul is preparing to host at the end of this month would support any resolutions that would help the Syrian people, in cooperation with the Arab League.
Back to relations with the GCC, Gul noted that though political and economic relations are strong, cooperation in the fields of culture and media “still needs a serious push”, and such improvements would help relations in all other fields as well.
Cooperation in culture and media initiatives would serve as an excellent means to bring the two nations and the two peoples together, Gul stressed, and he strongly urged translation of media and cultural productions in both directions.
When it comes to Turkey’s keenness to sign a free trade agreement with the GCC, he stressed the ultimate end is economic sufficiency and integration rather than an increase of bulk of trade exchange per se.
All of Turkey’s agreements with countries of the Gulf, whether political, economic, security related, or cultural aim at helping to maintain the stability of this strategic region.
On his country’s foreign policy when it comes to the Middle East, Gul remarked that “the situation is Iraq is still unstable, even with the end of the war, and it is no pleasure to see such continuation of political and security instability in a neighbor country”.
On Iran, Gul said the Iranian nuclear dossier is causing much concern as Tehran continues its confrontational path against the West concerning its nuclear program. On Palestine, Gul said Israel is very uncooperative and maintains a “hostile and brutal” attitude that pays little heed to international resolutions.
The Turkish president also mentioned Egypt, saying he is waiting to see the result of the democratic transition and political change. On these and other issues in the region, Turkey seeks a united and coordinated stance with that of other countries, most particularly the GCC, Arab League and the OIC.
Closer to home, Gul remarked on the great development his country has achieved over the last ten years, and stressed the reforms it initiated had furthered Turkey’s influence regionally and internationally.
It also made it an economic power to be reckoned with, and an economic power that surpasses the traditionally dominant powers within the European Union.
On the Islamic orientation of the ruling party, the president pointed out the party is not strictly Islamic in membership and includes elements from many other schools of thought. Furthermore, although he was the founder of the Justice and Development Party, Gul said he cannot take sides on any issue in his official capacity, as stated in the constitution.
The foundation of the party, he added, stressed on general values including freedom and the social values widely accepted in Turkey. It was therefore natural for the party to have an Islamic identity since it is in a country of over 90 percent Muslims.
As to whether the party could serve as model for others in the countries affected by the Arab Spring, he said Turkey has relations with and shares a great deal of values with Islamic parties that took over in some countries after the revolutions.
There are shared ideas to do with democracy and reform, he said. In our contacts with them, we stress that managing the country is the true challenge, not getting to power. Gul remarked, “This need to realize the current situation and its details and deal with it realistically would be communicated to Tunisian officials” during his visit to Tunisia, his first, and comes over a year after the democratic changes there.
Gul was asked to comment on the Ottoman legacy, amid criticism of some parts of it recently. “The Ottomans ruled a far-reaching empire over six centuries and made some mistakes in the process.
However, this does not mean some of the accusations against it from Christian parties are justified – they are in fact political ploys to discredit an opponent.”
The concern over circumstances in the Middle East, with rising tensions in many parts of the region, is “not cause for alarm or fears of war. Nor do we hope to see any armed conflict in the region.”
The Kuwaiti press delegation, which started its six-day visit on Monday, includes Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait Times Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, Kuwait Journalists Association Chairman and Deputy Managing Director of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Ahmad Yusef Behbehani, Al-Anbaa daily Editor-in-Chief Yusef Khalid Al-Marzouq, KUNA Editor-in-Chief Rashid Al-Ruwaished, Al-Rai Editor-in-Chief Majid Al-Ali and Annahar Editor-in-Chief Emad BuKhamsin. It also includes Deputy Editor in Chief of Al-Anbaa and visit coordinator Adnan Al-Rashed and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al-Yaqaza magazine Dalia Behbehani, along with photographer Majed Al-Sabej.
