FM Gul: The entire Turkish world sad at passing of Turkmenbasi

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has commented on the death of Turkmenistan's leader, Saparmurat Turkmenbasi, saying "The entire Turkish world is sad over his passing. We hope that Turkmenistan will pass through this difficult period and start a new one successfully. It is critical that there be no empty space to fill, no ambiguity in Turkmenistan at this time." Gul called Turkmenbasi "one of the Turkish world's most important leaders," and noted that Turkmenistan itself was a "sibling country" to Turkey.