EUROPE TURKMEN FRIENDSHIPS

Davutoğlu inaugurates consulate-general in Mosul

ARBIL – Anatolia News Agency
Saturday, October 31, 2009

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and State Minister for foreign trade Zafer Cağlayan formally inaugurated Turkey’s consulate-general in the Iraqi city of Mosul, third stop of their tour in Iraq.

The consulate-general has been active since 2006 but formal inauguration ceremony was held on Saturday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cağlayan said that Turkey would always stand by Iraqi people with its politicians and businessmen, reported Anatolia news agency.

“Today, we, as children of Ottomans, are here to show interest to development of Mosul just as our ancestors showed centuries ago,” Cağlayan said.

Turkey wanted to take an important role in the reconstruction of Mosul, he said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met Friday with Massoud Barzani, head of the regional administration in northern Iraq, in Arbil on Friday and discussed the Turkish government’s democratic move and efforts to eradicate the terrorist organization PKK.

Davutoğlu told Barzani that Iraq and Turkey would enter a “bright era” in relations, if the terrorist organization was dissolved, Anatolia news agency quoted diplomats as saying.

“Davutoğlu also said there were three legs in the fight against terrorism, which he put as ‘fight inside Turkey, fight in the north of Iraq and fight in Europe,’” the diplomats said.

Davutoğlu also asked the regional administration to help Turkey root out the PKK from  Kandil Mountain.

Barzani said the terrorist organization would either change itself after the Turkish government’s democratic move, or it would fail because of pressure asserted by Kurdish people.

Davutoğlu  also spoke at a joint press conference with Nechirvan Barzani, an administrator of the Regional Kurdish Administration in northern Iraq, at Arbil Airport before his departure to Mosul, reported Anatolia news agency.

“There will be a flow of goods and people between the two countries,” said Davutoğlu, stressing that they considered the threats against Iraq as threats against Turkey. Davutoğlu said that Turkey and Iraq would be a very strong axis.

© 2009 Hurriyet Daily News
URL: www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=davutoglu-discusses-cooperation-against-the-pkk-in-arbil-2009-10-31