Turkey's Erdogan Launches "Special Vacation Diplomacy"

14/07/2005

ANKARA, Turkey -- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday (13 July) that he has initiated a "special vacation diplomacy", intended to strengthen Turkey's relations with other countries. On Sunday, he plans to begin a two-day visit to Russia, where he is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin at the Black Sea resort of Sochi to discuss bilateral relations, as well as international and regional developments. At Erdogan's invitation, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis plan to spend their holidays in Turkey.

In other news, Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini met with Erdogan and other officials in Ankara on Wednesday and reaffirmed Italy's support for Turkey's EU membership. (Zaman - 14/07/05; AP - 13/07/05)

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