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Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Sept 23 2011
TURKEY-REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS: Parliament committee head says Syria can
have negative role in Turkey's fight against terrorism
Ankara, 23 September: Chairman of Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs
Committee said on Friday [23 September] that Syria was a country that
could have a negative role in Turkey's fight against terrorism.
Volkan Bozkir said representatives of a status quo that sheltered the
head of terrorist organization PKK in their country for years were
still ruling Syria.
"Developments in Syria will affect Turkey more than developments in
Tunisia and Libya," Bozkir told reporters after meeting Canada's
Ambassador to Turkey Marc Bailey in Ankara.
Bozkir said Turkey had to be more careful in its relations with Syria
by taking into consideration the fact that the head of the terrorist
organization PKK lived in Syria for years.
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who raised hopes at first, then took
disappointing steps, Bozkir said.
Bozkir said Turkey wished democratic process to be completed in Syria
as soon as possible and Syrian people to have an administration they
had longed for.
"If a leader has reached a stage that can incite a civil war in order
to rule his/her country, this indicates how grave stage s/he has
reached," Bozkir said.
Also commenting on relations with Canada and on Canada's stance on
Armenian allegations, Bozkir said bilateral relations had reached to
dimensions that could make Turkey uneasy due to internal policy
developments in Canada.
Bozkir said two countries had common interests, and were in search of
ways to better relations.
The committee chairman said Turkey hoped that the movement that
replaced 30-40-year dictators in the Middle East with democratic
powers could also bear result in Yemen.
Moreover, Bozkir said there was no need to bring to parliament the
agreement on delimitation of continental shelf between Turkey and
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
"However, we are still working on it," Bozkir said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Dervis
Eroglu of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) signed in New
York on Wednesday an agreement on the delimitation of the continental
shelf between two countries in the East Mediterranean.
The deal gives Turkey the green light to search oil and gas inside the
Turkish Cypriot waters.
The agreement follows a Greek Cypriot move to start offshore drilling
for natural gas and oil in the southeast of the Eastern Mediterranean
island.
Turkey said it would send a vessel to the region to launch own
research this week, adding the ship would be escorted by Turkish
warships.
In 2010, the Greek Cypriot administration and Israel signed an accord
demarcating their maritime borders to facilitate a search for mineral
deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Greek Cypriot administration has recently begin oil and natural
gas exploration and drilling.
The Greek Cypriot side had signed a deal with US-based Noble Energy to
start drilling in an 324,000-hectare economic zone adjacent to the
Israeli waters.
Sept 23 2011
TURKEY-REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS: Parliament committee head says Syria can
have negative role in Turkey's fight against terrorism
Ankara, 23 September: Chairman of Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs
Committee said on Friday [23 September] that Syria was a country that
could have a negative role in Turkey's fight against terrorism.
Volkan Bozkir said representatives of a status quo that sheltered the
head of terrorist organization PKK in their country for years were
still ruling Syria.
"Developments in Syria will affect Turkey more than developments in
Tunisia and Libya," Bozkir told reporters after meeting Canada's
Ambassador to Turkey Marc Bailey in Ankara.
Bozkir said Turkey had to be more careful in its relations with Syria
by taking into consideration the fact that the head of the terrorist
organization PKK lived in Syria for years.
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who raised hopes at first, then took
disappointing steps, Bozkir said.
Bozkir said Turkey wished democratic process to be completed in Syria
as soon as possible and Syrian people to have an administration they
had longed for.
"If a leader has reached a stage that can incite a civil war in order
to rule his/her country, this indicates how grave stage s/he has
reached," Bozkir said.
Also commenting on relations with Canada and on Canada's stance on
Armenian allegations, Bozkir said bilateral relations had reached to
dimensions that could make Turkey uneasy due to internal policy
developments in Canada.
Bozkir said two countries had common interests, and were in search of
ways to better relations.
The committee chairman said Turkey hoped that the movement that
replaced 30-40-year dictators in the Middle East with democratic
powers could also bear result in Yemen.
Moreover, Bozkir said there was no need to bring to parliament the
agreement on delimitation of continental shelf between Turkey and
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
"However, we are still working on it," Bozkir said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Dervis
Eroglu of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) signed in New
York on Wednesday an agreement on the delimitation of the continental
shelf between two countries in the East Mediterranean.
The deal gives Turkey the green light to search oil and gas inside the
Turkish Cypriot waters.
The agreement follows a Greek Cypriot move to start offshore drilling
for natural gas and oil in the southeast of the Eastern Mediterranean
island.
Turkey said it would send a vessel to the region to launch own
research this week, adding the ship would be escorted by Turkish
warships.
In 2010, the Greek Cypriot administration and Israel signed an accord
demarcating their maritime borders to facilitate a search for mineral
deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Greek Cypriot administration has recently begin oil and natural
gas exploration and drilling.
The Greek Cypriot side had signed a deal with US-based Noble Energy to
start drilling in an 324,000-hectare economic zone adjacent to the
Israeli waters.