ANKARA
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu said he had expected Iraqi PM al-Maliki to attend high-level strategic cooperation council with Turkey, However, Maliki preferred to go to Washington and complain about Turkey rather than coming to Ankara.
In his speech at the Fifth Conference of Turkish Ambassadors in Ankara Davutoglu said, Syria to get in such chaos that Turkey gets in trouble, too. There is a community that would be "They want Syria to continue with the same regime or even pleased if Turkey gets in trouble."
Davutoglu compared the Arab Spring to "an earthquake in the Mediterranean basin" and Turkey would try to make use of diplomacy as much as possible to help the transition process to be bloodless and smooth.
Davutoglu also noted he had expected Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to attend the high-level strategic cooperation council with Turkey and added, "However, Mr.Maliki preferred to go to Washington and complain about Turkey rather than coming to Ankara. Unfortunately, he continued his statements in the detriment of Turkey since then. I wish he had followed a policy open to all parts of Iraq following the withdrawal of the American forces."
Turkey hosts Syrians as part of humanitarian diplomacy
Davutoglu also stressed that Turkey was hosting Syrian people as part of a humanitarian diplomacy.
Closing the door to those who knock on our door is not a part of our culture, added Davutoglu who spoke at the inauguration of the 5th Ambassadors Conference on Wednesday.
Addressing Turkish ambassadors who are working across the world, Davutoglu said that "humanitarian diplomacy" had three dimensions as; a state's easing its citizens' lives, a state's stance in crisis regions, and humanitarian possession within UN system.
Regarding the first dimension, Davutoglu said that Turkey was determined to pursue the most liberal visa policy as it believed that the citizens were the basic power of the country.
The more Turkish citizens move, the more they produce a value, said Davutoglu, adding that Turkey would open embassies and consulates general everywhere Turkish citizens went.
Eventually, Turkish citizens would travel in the EU without visa because Turkey has been, is and will be a part of Europe, said Davutoglu.
Turkish FM praises Turkey's international development agency
Davutoglu said Turkey's international development and cooperation agency was one of "the rising institutions in the world."
"TIKA has become an international brand and it is a major contributor to Turkey's growing profile as a rising donor country in the world," Davutoglu told a meeting as part of a conference of Turkish ambassadors held in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
Davutoglu said TIKA had conducted outstanding projects in Africa, especially in Somalia, where he said it "achieved a story of extraordinary success."
"Whenever we meet someone from an African country the first thing they ask of us is to open a TIKA office in that particular country," Davutoglu said.
