Erdogan: "Turkey and Bosnia's fates are intertwined"

Accompanied by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Chief EU Negotiator Egemen Bagis and Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday left for Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina for a two-day official visit. Speaking to reporters before leaving, Erdogan stressed the importance Turkey places on the Balkan country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and preservation of its internationally recognized borders. On the first day of his visit, Erdogan delivered a speech at the Bosnian Institute, saying that Turkey sees peace and stability in the Balkans as intertwined with its own destiny. Touching on Turkey's developing relations with Russia, Erdogan said during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Turkey next month, a high-level strategic cooperation agreement would be signed between the two countries. Erdogan also expressed hope that another agreement would be signed to scrap visa requirements between the two countries. Complaining about unfair treatment of Turkey's European Union accession bid, Erdogan said that though Turkey is facing unprecedented obstacles, he is confident of its eventual membership in the 27-nation bloc. Erdogan also attended a ceremony marking the opening of a new building at Sarajevo University, where 900 of its 1,300 students are Turks. In related news, Erdogan is expected to proceed from Sarajevo to Paris later today to attend the closing gala of Turkish Season in France, a nine-month-long event aimed at familiarizing Turkey-skeptic French people with Turkey's culture, history, and achievements. In a recent interview with French daily Le Figaro, Erdogan called on French President Nicolas Sarkozy to visit Turkey to see firsthand the remarkable transformation it has achieved in recent years. "Mr. Sarkozy is always talking about a visit he made to Turkey during his youth, but he needs to visit Turkey right now to see the country it has become," he said. Erdogan will meet with Sarkozy over a working dinner at the Elysee Palace to discuss bilateral relations as well as various matters of common interest and regional issues. In a first, Erdogan is also expected to address a large group of Turks living in France.