Great Britain Exclusive
President Gül addressed at the House of Commons, the CBI, Wilton Park, Guildhall and at the dinner given by Queen Elizabeth II in his honor.
President Abdullah Gül, on the second day of his official visit to Great Britain, addressed the Plenary Session of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), during which he underscored that the major financial upheaval in the second half of 2007 which pushed the world economy into crisis is widely considered as the worst downturn since the Great Depression.
“TURKEY IS THE WORLD’S SHINING STAR AND RISING CRESCENT OF EURASIA”
The President, after urging British companies to invest in Turkey more, reiterated as follows: “We would like to see new investors from the UK. Likewise we encourage our private sector to increase their presence and investments in the UK. We need to stimulate growth and create new jobs. It is all the more important today to further strengthen Turkish-UK business links in order to overcome economic difficulties. In the past, we have seen many rising stars, suns and tigers in the world economy. Now, with its shining star Turkey is the rising crescent of Eurasia. On that note, I would like to invite you to explore vibrant business opportunities in Turkey to the mutual interests of our nations.“
OFFICIAL DINNER FOR THE FIRST COUPLE AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II hosted an official dinner in honor of President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül at Buckingham Palace. The President, delivering a speech at the dinner, revealed his pleasure to be visiting Great Britain to reaffirm the historic and strong bonds between the two countries, which go back many centuries. Extending his thanks to the Queen for her warm hospitality, President Gül said he has fond memories of Her Majesty’s historic visit to Turkey in 2008, noting that he also most vividly cherishes the memories of his visit last year when the Queen presented him the Chatham House Prize.
GÜL DELIVERS INAUGURATION SPEECH AT THE WILTON PARK
President Abdullah Gül, as part of his official visit to the United Kingdom, delivered a speech at the Wilton Park entitled ‘Historic Transformation in the Middle East and its Impact on Global Politics’. The President referred to the fact that the global agenda is currently full of important developments, among which the historic transition in the Middle East and North Africa comes to the fore with its potential global ramifications. Recalling that even before the events unfolded in this part of the world, President Gül said they were aware of the need for change in this region, given the unsustainable nature of regimes in power, maintaining that he drew attention to this need as early as 2003 at an OIC Conference in Tehran and reiterated his call to the regional leaders on various occasions since then. Behind closed doors, he averred, he privately shared his views with the leaders as well.
ON ISRAEL
Touching upon the Arab-Israeli conflict during his address, President Gül commented as follows: “Without reaching a comprehensive settlement between the Arabs and the Israelis, no spring in the region can endure until summer.
More than any other country, Israel, must adapt to the new political climate in the region. Israel’s well-being will depend on an honorable peace with the Arabs. Such a fair and honorable peace cannot be achieved by merely imposing Israel’s own terms on the others.”
Calling upon the leaders of Israel to approach the peace process with a strategic mindset, rather than pursuing short-sighted tactical maneuvers, the President further pointed out that the more Israel keeps its intransigence to calls towards a fair, viable and comprehensive peace and disrespects international law, the more it will become isolated.
GÜL ADDRESSES HOUSE OF COMMONS
Addressing the members of the House of Commons, President Gül, evincing his pleausure to be “among true friends of Turkey”, proclaimed Turkey and the United Kingdom to be two countries acting as lynchpins for Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian regions and he also commented on the Arab Spring: “We hope that the people’s genuine aspirations for a life in dignity will be realized.
EU PRESIDENCY OF A HALF GOVERNMENT IN 2012
President Gül, also mentioning the Cyprus issue and the Greek Cypriot Administration’s term presidency of the EU in 2012, evinced that the EU Presidency of such a “half government” in the second half of 2012 certainly demonstrates a weakness on the part of the EU, underscoring: “This is something that must be questioned by the European Union itself. More importantly, since the European Union considers all this to be normal at a time when negotiations are under way, this provides conducive ground for the Greek Cypriot Administration not to feel any obligation to work for a solution. Obviously, this puts the European Union in a position where it ends up strongly encouraging the absence of a settlement.”
DINNER FOR THE FIRST COUPLE AT GUILDHALL
President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül attended an official dinner given in their honor by Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman David Wootton. The President, giving an address at the dinner, pointed to the constant contact at the highest level between the two countries that work closely to help peace, democracy, freedom and the rule of law prevail and flourish across the world.
ECONOMIC TIES BETWEEN TURKEY AND THE UK
Today, the President said, Turkey and the United Kingdom enjoy a “Strategic Partnership” based on strong bonds of alliance, friendship and mutual trust and reiterated that economic and commercial ties between the two countries represent an important aspect of their bilateral relations, saying: “Despite the global financial crisis, the annual trade volume between our countries reached 12 billion dollars in 2010.”