President Gul receives Japanese Ambassador to Ankara

President Abdullah Gul yesterday received Japanese Ambassador to Ankara Yutaka Yokoi at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. After the bilateral talk they engaged, Japanese Ambassador presented his letter of credence to Gul. Prior to the Letter of Credence ceremony, Gul responded to questions of press members on the agenda of Turkey. In response to a question concerning the declaration of Secretary General Rasmussen of NATO on the missile defense system, President Gul stated as follows: "It is natural that every country prioritizes its national interests. Turkey lays great emphasis upon its relations with its allies. The purchase of these missiles, the integration of them and other relevant issues have all been discussed. This is a technical dimension of the issue. This dimension has been evaluated and discussed in detail. One should not misinterpret this issue. After all, in other NATO members, similar applications are seen indeed. What is important here is Turkey's national interests."