President Halonen visits Turkey and Serbia

President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gül and President Tarja Halonen in Ankara. Copyright © Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

Turkey’s EU membership negotiations and the ongoing transition in the Middle East and northern Africa were on the agenda as President of the Republic Tarja Halonen met the President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, in Istanbul on Tuesday 29 March. President Halonen and Dr Pentti Arajärvi travelled to Turkey and Serbia between 28 March and 1 April 2011.

The meeting of the two presidents highlighted the good and long-standing relations between Turkey and Finland. Indeed, President Gül noted that a historical turning point was attained in 1999 when Turkey was granted EU candidate country status at the Helsinki summit. President Gül also complimented Finland on its logical approach to Turkey’s EU membership negotiations.
Reforms are essential

President Halonen said that the reforms that are essential for Turkey to make to gain EU membership will ultimately benefit Turkey itself. All candidates must be treated equitably, she said. There has been much public debate and frustration in Turkey at the slow progress of EU membership negotiations.

President Gül referred to Finland’s expertise in the energy sector and called for further cooperation particularly in the areas of nuclear safety, renewable energy sources and energy conservation. President Halonen pointed out that energy is a part of sustainable development. New and renewable energy sources are important, and the discovery of new forms of energy is being supported. President Halonen promised to take President Gül’s message of the importance of energy cooperation back to the Finnish Government.

President Halonen also met the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Mehmet Ali Şahin; their meeting focused on developing business cooperation, a point on which President Halonen promised to report back to the leaders of the Finnish business community.

Turkey inspires

Turkey is often considered a sort of model state for many other countries in the region. President Gül noted that while Turkey has no desire to be held up as a paragon of virtue, it is an inspiring example of a country combining a Muslim population with European democracy.

The retinue of the President of the Republic included Ilkka Niiniluoto, Chancellor of the University of Helsinki, and Jacob Söderman MP. Scientific cooperation between Finland and Turkey is increasing. Also, the Turkish hosts were highly interested in Mr Söderman’s experiences during his tenure as the first ever European Ombudsman, and he will probably be invited back for further talks.

During the second day of her visit, President Halonen visited the city of Sanliurfa in south-eastern Turkey. She met leaders of the region and learned about the water and infrastructure development project (GAP) which aims to raise the standard of living in the region. She also visited a support centre for women and children and spoke at the University of Harran.

President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gül made an official visit to Finland in October 2008.

EU membership and economic cooperation on the table in Serbia

President Tarja Halonen and President of Serbia Boris Tadić. Copyright © Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

On her state visit to Serbia on 31 March – 1 April, President Halonen met Boris Tadić, President of Serbia, and also visited the Serbian Parliament to meet Speaker Slavica Đukić Dejanović.

Talks with President Tadić focused on Serbia’s EU prospects and the integration process. Economic cooperation was the principal topic in bilateral affairs, and the two presidents noted that there is scope for closer cooperation between Finnish and Serbian enterprises. Energy efficiency in particular was singled out as an area for cooperation.

President Halonen also met representatives of Serbian NGOs and visited the city of Novi Sad in the autonomous region of Vojvodina.

Photos from Turkey

Photos from Serbia