Turkish Press Takes Little Notice of Borisov's Snubbing

Diplomacy | September 24, 2010, Friday // 20:20|  views

A family photo at the reception in NYC. Turkish President Gul is in the middle with Macedonia President Ivanov and Kosovo PM Thaci. Bulgarian PM Borisov is missing as he left in demonstration. Foreign Minister Mladenov (R) remained. Photo by Today's Zaman

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's alleged snubbing of Turkey at the Balkan reception in New York has found little coverage in the Turkish media.

Borisov's failure to rise to welcome Turkish President Abdullah Gul, the content of his speech, and his demonstrative early departure do not seem to have made an impression on Turkish journalists.

According to the English-language Turkish paper Today's Zaman, during the meeting Turkey's President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday expressed his support for the Balkans' integration into NATO and the European Union while urging Balkan leaders to use dialogue and diplomacy to solve the region's problems.

Gul said stability is crucial for cooperation in the Balkan region, and that he believed every Balkan country would be a NATO and EU member one day, while also stressing that the Balkans were not on Europe's edge but in its middle.

The paper points out that the meeting organized by the Federation of Balkan American Associations (FEBA) and the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) in New York was attended by Bosnian President Haris Silajdzic, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu, Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, Albanian Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto and New York Governor David Paterson.

The only other mention of the Bulgarian Prime Minister states that "Silajdzic, Vujanovic, Ivanov and Borisov also made brief speeches at the meeting, where they largely praised Turkey's proactive foreign policy.

Today's Zaman, however, quotes Turkish State Minister Ali Babacan as saying that Turkey did not want "a solution" [for the Balkan's problems] imposed from outside, pointing out that Turkey-initiated mechanisms enabled the leaders and foreign ministers of the Balkan countries to meet regularly to discuss ways to solve problems and boost cooperation.

"The history showed them that welfare and stability is possible in the Balkans. Turkey pursues a constructive and careful policy in the region," Babacan said while also declaring that Turkey was the only Balkan country in the G-20 and that the country was "a voice of the Balkans" during the group's meetings.

The architect of the recent conciliatory moves among the Balkan countries, Foreign Minister Davuto?lu, said during his speech that Turkey made a great effort to transform the region into a stable and prosperous region, says the report. Mentioning Davutoglu's trilateral meetings, first with the foreign ministers of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Tags: Governor of New York, New York, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, kosovo, Croatia, Romania, greece, Sali Berisha, George Ivanov, FYROM, Albania, macedonia, Ahmet Davutoglu, Abdullah Gul, Turkish President, turkey, Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, Balkans, greece, UN, UN General Assembly, USA, Today's Zaman

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