Gul call for open, transparent discussion to solve Turkey's issues

Turkey is moving forward in all directions, West, East, North and South, said President Abdullah Gul yesterday, rebuffing claims that Ankara 's foreign policy is shifting orientation from the West to the East. Speaking at the opening of the headquarters of Institute for International Strategic Research (USAK), reportedly the first think-tank headquarters in Turkey , in Ankara , Gul said, "The important point is what direction Turkey 's values have been developing in. Considering how Turkey is moving forward on such matters as democratic values, the rule of law, respect for human rights, transparency, accountability, gender equality, and Turkey's market economy, the nation's direction is clearer." Stating that Turkey is getting stronger in all areas, Gul stressed that the main factor behind the economy's growing strength is the democratic reforms of recent years. Gul also stressed the importance of think-tanks such as USAK discussing the nation's problems, and added, "If countries don't openly and transparently discuss their issues to solve them, those issues will be passed on as burdens to future generation." He also praised what he called a vibrant discussion of Turkey 's domestic and foreign issues, adding that the results of these discussions would steer Turkey in the right direction. "I believe that Turkey 's fundamentals are very strong, and there is a major consensus on the country's basic constitutional values, which define the Republic of Turkey as a democratic and secular state under the rule of law. I also believe that a very strong Turkey will emerge at the end of this century." In related news, Gul yesterday received former German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. During the meeting, Gul compared certain countries' anti-Turkey stance to the Cold War Iron Curtain between West and East Germany . In response, Dietrich pledged his opposition to such a stance. Dietrich, the honorary leader of the Free Democrat Party (FDP), one of the partners of the newly established German coalition government under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel, stressed that Turkey 's strategic importance for the EU has risen in recent years. "The EU can become a global power by admitting Turkey , which is a transit country at the crossroads of energy transportation lines," he said. "Everyone sees this truth, as they must."