Gul attends opening of Frankfurt book fair

The number, diversity and quality of books published in Turkey are on an upward trend, said President Abdullah Gul yesterday. Speaking at the opening ceremony of Germany's 60th Frankfurt Book Fair, Gul lamented how a number of writers have been lost to terrorism. Saying that pressure and restrictions on writers and books are falling away, Gul added, "Turkey is a country which has largely fulfilled the European Union criteria on freedom of speech and respect for cultural diversity through economic and political reforms, especially in recent years." For his part, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that he hoped the fair would help Turkey bridge cultures and continents. Stating that EU integration cannot be done without Turkey, Steinmeier said that Turkey plays an important role in peace efforts in both the Middle East and the Caucasus. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk also attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.