ID :
163866
Fri, 02/25/2011 - 04:37
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/163866
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Malaysia PM Najib`s Visit To Turkey Ends 28 Years Of Waiting By Turks
ISTANBUL (Bernama) - Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit to Turkey this month has been deemed as the most awaited visit by the leader and people of Turkey, who had waited for 28 years to receive such a visit.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan, in a joint-press conference with Najib in Ankara on Tuesday, described Najib's visit as special, as the country had not been visited by a top Malaysian leader for a long time.
Hence, the meeting of the two Muslim leaders, who also greeted each other as "brother", clearly showed that there was a strong bond between them.
Najib's visit was given a very special treatment when the state ceremony to welcome him at Erdogan's office was broadcast live by the local televisions.
In fact, their four-eye meeting which went on for over an hour, quite long in terms of protocol, also showed the high level of appreciation given to the Malaysian leader.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul who was paid a courtesy call by Najib on the first day of his visit on Monday also expressed his gratitude to Malaysia for approving a special motion in the Malaysia's Lower House of Parliament to slam the Israeli attacks on the Mavi Marmara flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, which claimed the lives of several Turkish men last year.
A similar appreciation was also expressed by Erdogan who lauded Najib's speech at the United Nations last year where he mentioned the incident and gave moral support to the people of Turkey, while at the same time slamming Israeli brutality in the incident.
In their meeting, which was described by Erdogan as very significant and productive, Malaysia and Turkey had also agreed on several matters that would improve the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Najib, on the other hand, described his meeting with Erdogan as successful in making several decisions that would put Malaysia-Turkey relations on a higher level in the future.
From the meeting, two vital agreements are expected to be signed between the two countries before the end of this year, namely the Strategic Framework Agreement and Free Trade Agreement.
Other significant decisions are the decision to lift visa requirements for Malaysian and Turkish citizens to travel to each other's countries.
Both leaders also vowed to increase trade relations to US$5 billion
from the current of US$1 billion.
Both countries also agreed to make optimum use of their strengths in a bid to further improve the bilateral relations and find a new market for their national products.
The warm and friendly relations between the two leaders were also visible during the dinner held in honour of Najib.
Erdogan also sent his transport minister to accompany Najib on his visit to the construction site for a rail tube tunnel and commuter track in Istanbul.
The matter concerning opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat de factor leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is alleged to have a big influence on Turkish leadersfollowing his action in taking shelter at the residence of Turkish Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur when he was facing a sodomy charge in 2008, was a non-issue here.
In fact, when asked about it during the press conference, Najib also confirmed that the Anwar issue was not mentioned by Erdogan in their meeting.
He said this was because the Turkish prime minister paid more attention to strategic prospects and to establish stronger ties with the Malaysian government.
Hence, Najib's three-day visit to Ankara and Istanbul early this week was really worth the wait.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan, in a joint-press conference with Najib in Ankara on Tuesday, described Najib's visit as special, as the country had not been visited by a top Malaysian leader for a long time.
Hence, the meeting of the two Muslim leaders, who also greeted each other as "brother", clearly showed that there was a strong bond between them.
Najib's visit was given a very special treatment when the state ceremony to welcome him at Erdogan's office was broadcast live by the local televisions.
In fact, their four-eye meeting which went on for over an hour, quite long in terms of protocol, also showed the high level of appreciation given to the Malaysian leader.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul who was paid a courtesy call by Najib on the first day of his visit on Monday also expressed his gratitude to Malaysia for approving a special motion in the Malaysia's Lower House of Parliament to slam the Israeli attacks on the Mavi Marmara flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, which claimed the lives of several Turkish men last year.
A similar appreciation was also expressed by Erdogan who lauded Najib's speech at the United Nations last year where he mentioned the incident and gave moral support to the people of Turkey, while at the same time slamming Israeli brutality in the incident.
In their meeting, which was described by Erdogan as very significant and productive, Malaysia and Turkey had also agreed on several matters that would improve the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Najib, on the other hand, described his meeting with Erdogan as successful in making several decisions that would put Malaysia-Turkey relations on a higher level in the future.
From the meeting, two vital agreements are expected to be signed between the two countries before the end of this year, namely the Strategic Framework Agreement and Free Trade Agreement.
Other significant decisions are the decision to lift visa requirements for Malaysian and Turkish citizens to travel to each other's countries.
Both leaders also vowed to increase trade relations to US$5 billion
from the current of US$1 billion.
Both countries also agreed to make optimum use of their strengths in a bid to further improve the bilateral relations and find a new market for their national products.
The warm and friendly relations between the two leaders were also visible during the dinner held in honour of Najib.
Erdogan also sent his transport minister to accompany Najib on his visit to the construction site for a rail tube tunnel and commuter track in Istanbul.
The matter concerning opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat de factor leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is alleged to have a big influence on Turkish leadersfollowing his action in taking shelter at the residence of Turkish Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur when he was facing a sodomy charge in 2008, was a non-issue here.
In fact, when asked about it during the press conference, Najib also confirmed that the Anwar issue was not mentioned by Erdogan in their meeting.
He said this was because the Turkish prime minister paid more attention to strategic prospects and to establish stronger ties with the Malaysian government.
Hence, Najib's three-day visit to Ankara and Istanbul early this week was really worth the wait.
