H.E.Edelman, the US Ambassador who talked to press last week following a meeting reviewed the Turkish-US relations and said the following:

“Turkey is the USA’s strategic friend and this will not change in future. Turkey and the USA have analyzed the latest events on a very “careful” basis; thus having understood that those events are the efforts by some media groups as well as influential classes, they avoided the trap and made their expectations futile.”

We hope that in his new and important position he will continue his friendly relations with Turkey in future.When someone lives and works in Turkey, gets to know our people closely and introduces himself as a “Turkish friend” upon his expatriation, this will be a magnificent benefit on our part. We hope that H.E Edelman will display the same approach. It is a fact that in spite of several criticisms, he has always supported Turkey in her hard times. As a matter of fact, Edelman’s mother used to live in Istanbul. We have a close contact and relation with him. We think that he will not allow the lobbies in the USA to propagandize against Turkey because Turkey has a very significant position in the world map. If all assets of energy resources will move from the Middle East or Central Asia, they have to pass through Turkey. Thus the USA cannot overlook or neglect Turkey in any case. But Turkey should safeguard and defend her position and reflexes. This may achieved in either Incirlik or any other place. Emphasizing its interests and priorities, Turkey will extend some facilities to the USA, a friend and ally of ours for a return for these interests.These are mutual interests and favors. No one does a favor for her or his looks.

TURKISH-KURDISH-ALIVE PEOPLE LIVING TOGETHER FOR A MILLENNIUM

But there is something that we should remind the US. For more than 50 years, Turkey, together with the USA, has fought against terrorism. However, the USA has sometimes left Turkey alone in her fight against terrorism. When Turkish people could not find the USA support, the counter-reaction has intensified. What we would like to say is that: The USA should use their identities, powers, influences and principles for a fight against the terror and thus wipe off the anarchy against the malicious forces in Northern Iraq.

Turkey is rather in confusion when it comes to PKK. We should not confuse our Kurdish people with whom we are living together for a millennium with PKK. We are insisting on this point. The more we are Turkish the more we are Kurdish. The more we are Kurdish the more we are Turkish, When we add other ethnical origins living in this territory, as I have said several times, Turkish citizens should have faith in a trustworthy message and acceptable oration. This means that they have to avoid discrimination and not violate each other’s rights and freedoms. They have to avoid any policy or attitude that will leave them their brothers with whom they have been living for a thousand years. If the EU is willing to impose certain criteria that will cause an ethnical identity confusion in Turkey, or a discrimination between Kurdish and Turkish people, Alawite or Sunnite citizens, left or right people, then in my opinion, we have nothing to do with this kind of EU because these criteria is to lead our people, who have been leaving together for centuries on the same territory, to a fight against each other; to divide Turkey on the basis of different ethnical groups, roots and nationalities. I repeat this several times and with an emphasis on it. These should not be allowed and accepted.

ATTENTION TO MR. SINAN AYGUN, THE CHAIRMAN OF ANKARA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (ATO)

According to the “Debt Report for the last Decade” issued by Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Turkey has paid a total sum of 970.8 billion dollars during the last decade, which comprises principal sums and interests of foreign and national debts; each year she paid a principal debt and its interests for domestic debts amounting to US$77.2 billion dollars on average. The report, which announces that Turkey has borrowed a domestic debt of US$780 billion during the same period, highlights the fact that during the last five years between 2000 to 2004, the most severe borrowing that we have witnessed in the Republic era was made with a total amount of 513 billion dollars.

Mr. Sinan Aygün, the Chairman of Ankara Chamber of Commerce sheds light on some important issues from time to time, varying from the protection and market functionality of Turkish currency to several similar issues with a delicate approach. We expect that concerned authorities will take into consideration the warnings as defined in the ATO reports which are products of time-consuming researches and will be more careful about our national wealth because the stated figures are overwhelmingly serious and are likely to prevent Turkey from finishing off its several projects.