Babacan pleased with Turkey's contacts in the US

Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the Turkish Embassy in Washington about his contacts in New York for the last nine days, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said that Turkey was greatly appreciated in each environment during annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington. "In the past, people used to ask questions mainly about Turkey, but now their questions are primarily related to the world, Europe and the G-20 agenda. Considering Europe and the region, it looks ‘dark,' but Turkey is the ‘bright spot' there. I heard about this phrase many times during my bilateral talks," said Babacan. Stating that they attended the UN's Global Sustainability Panel in New York and the development and environment issues in the world were discussed by a 22-person working group co-chaired by Finnish and South African presidents, Babacan said that they were in the process of preparing a report on such issues as how growth could be made sustainable, how they could suffice the world resources in the long-run and what should be done to fight poverty. Babacan added that he has mostly accompanied Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visits in New York and attended certain programs along with investors as well.