Gul: "During this critical time, Turkey shouldn't expend its energy on domestic conflicts"

On the last day of his official visit to Croatia at the invitation of his Croatian counterpart Stjepan Mesic, President Abdullah Gul yesterday toured the historical city of Dubrovnik. Before leaving the country, Gul told reporters that the case seeking the closure of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had caused political turmoil. "Every development should be evaluated in terms of its cost to Turkey," he argued. "We're going through a critical time. Everybody should consider the potential costs of Turkey's rising risk premium." Stating that in the past Turkey had missed many large opportunities, he said it shouldn't throw away new chances. Asked about the Constitutional Court's recent ruling upholding the headscarf ban at universities, Gul said, "We need to overcome our differences and divisions through dialogue, as in normal democracies. Turkey should resolve its problems with the Constitution's guidance and in line with the universal principles of democracy and the law." He added that he places great importance on the Parliament speaker's meetings with top political party officials to seek a solution to the crisis over the ruling. "Parliament represents the political will of the people, and it is the top institution," he said. Turning to the current global economic crisis and rising oil and food prices, Gul said, "Turkey shouldn't expend its energy on domestic conflicts, especially during such a critical period." He added, "The more progress we make in our European Union accession talks, the stronger, not weaker, we get. So we have to move ahead, because we may face more difficult years in the course of the negotiations."