Turkish president kicks off China visit
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 25, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - China is a natural partner and Turkey wants to increase its cooperation with the country, Turkish President Abdullah Gül said in an interview prior to his visit to Beijing that began Wednesday. The official delegation accompanying Gül for the first time included a member from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP.
Turkey and China are in a good position to overcome new challenges and pursue greater prosperity through cooperation, Gül said in an interview with China’s official Xinhua news agency. "The cooperation between Turkey and China is of importance, not only to our two countries, but also to the international community," he said.
He said that thanks to the two countries' unique cultural identities, China and Turkey could better tackle threats to common aspirations such as security, harmony and prosperity.
Turkey and China have the potential to cooperate in solving international and regional issues like the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and problems in the Middle East, the Caucasus and Africa, he added. China is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, where Turkey holds a non-permanent member seat from 2009 to 2010.
Official data from China showed that Chinese-Turkish trade exceeded $12 billion in 2008, about 13 times 2001 levels. China is Turkey's largest trading partner in East Asia, but Turkey is concerned with its large trade deficit with China, Gül said. Many businessmen and politicians, including a deputy from the DTP, are accompanying Gül during the six-day visit. DTP Parliamentarian group chairman Selahattin Demirtaş is the first pro-Kurdish, party official to accompany the Turkish president during a state visit abroad.
He said that thanks to the two countries' unique cultural identities, China and Turkey could better tackle threats to common aspirations such as security, harmony and prosperity.
Turkey and China have the potential to cooperate in solving international and regional issues like the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and problems in the Middle East, the Caucasus and Africa, he added. China is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, where Turkey holds a non-permanent member seat from 2009 to 2010.
Official data from China showed that Chinese-Turkish trade exceeded $12 billion in 2008, about 13 times 2001 levels. China is Turkey's largest trading partner in East Asia, but Turkey is concerned with its large trade deficit with China, Gül said. Many businessmen and politicians, including a deputy from the DTP, are accompanying Gül during the six-day visit. DTP Parliamentarian group chairman Selahattin Demirtaş is the first pro-Kurdish, party official to accompany the Turkish president during a state visit abroad.