Turkey, Brazil agree to draft road map towards strategic partnership

Turkey and Brazil have agreed to draft an action plan for strategic partnership, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Brazilian counterpart Celso Amorim, who was in Turkey to attend a conference of Turkish ambassadors in Ankara, Davutoglu said that Turkish-Brazilian ties have improved remarkably in the recent years on both regional and global issues. Stating that the two countries will work together in the UN Security Council, Davutoglu added that Brazil has made significant contributions to the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. Saying that Turkey and Brazil share similar views on many global matters, including climate change and nuclear proliferation, Davutoglu said, "I believe that relations between our countries will make major contributions to global and regional peace." For his part, Amorim said that Turkey plays a key role in the world, and characterized Turkey as an important actor in the Middle East. He also expressed Brazil's desire to deepen ties with Turkey, stressing the importance of their decision to draft an action plan for strategic partnership towards this end. During the press conference, Davutoglu also downplayed news reports that Bulgaria plans to ask Turkey for $10 billion in compensation for properties that Bulgarian nationals who emigrated to Bulgaria in the latter years of the Ottoman Empire left behind in Turkey. There have been no official appeals from Bulgaria for such compensation, Davutoglu said, adding, "Maintaining the current friendly course of relations between Turkey and Bulgaria, which constitute a very good model, will benefit both countries." A Bulgarian Cabinet member has signaled that his country would block Turkey's European Union accession unless Turkey agrees to pay the compensation. "What happened in history did not happen as a unilateral emigration," Davutoglu continued. "Nearly 2 million Turks had to leave their homes in Bulgaria [in the wake of the 1912-13 Balkan Wars] and they headed back to Turkey. And any discussion of these historical issues needs a wider comprehensive scope. But the continuation of friendly relations between Turkey and Bulgaria helps both countries. There are remarkable benefits to avoiding making such statements, which might harm the friendship between our countries."