Arinc: "Turkey is the easts's gateway to the west, and the west's guide to the east"

Turkey's widely praised role as a bridge between East and West is also helping both sides economically, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said yesterday. In an address to Turkish and Cambodian businesspeople at a forum in Phnom Penh organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), Arinc said, " Turkey is now the East's gateway to the West and the West's guide to the East." In his speech, he touted the economic performance Turkey has posted since 2002, adding that this success has helped Turkey strengthen its unique cultural and geographical position between the East and the West. "Thanks to the high performance it has shown for some time, Turkey has become an extraordinarily rising economy on an international scale, as Europe 's sixth-largest economy and the world's 16th-largest," said Arinc.