Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that newly appointed German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and he agreed that the Cyprus issue should not obstruct Turkey-the EU relations and that the strategic dialogue mechanism between Turkish and German foreign ministries should be put into practice as soon as possible.

Davutoglu met with German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Westerwelle who is currently in Ankara on a formal visit.

He said at a joint news conference following the meeting that they decided to form a mechanism of consultation and cooperation, and that they agreed to put into practice the strategic dialogue mechanism between Turkish and German foreign ministries.

Davutoglu said that they were planning to open Turkish-German University soon.

Referring to Turkey-Germany economic and commercial relations, Davutoglu said, "there are about 4 thousand German companies operating in Turkey. After the recent increase in amount of natural gas purchased from Russia, Germany became the second biggest commercial partner of Turkey behind Russia."

Davutoglu told reporters, "Turkey-the EU relations topped agenda of our meeting. I thanked Mr. Westerwelle for extending support to Turkey's EU process. We also welcomed that he once again underlined the principle of 'pacta sund servanda' (Latin for "agreements must be kept"). Germany is one of founder and leading countries of the EU. Undoubtedly, Germany has a strategic perspective about Turkey-the EU relations. This perspective will have positive impacts on future international positions of Turkey, Germany and the EU."

"I informed Mr. Westerwelle on the Cyprus issue in detail. We agreed that the Cyprus issue should not obstruct Turkey-the EU relations. We also exchanged views on what can be done to ensure a fair and lasting peace in Cyprus under the United Nations parametres," Davutoglu said.

"The regional developments, Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process, Iran's nuclear program, efforts to normalize Turkey-Armenia relations and the Upper Karabakh dispute were also high on agenda of the meeting," he said.

Call for probe

Upon a question about an incident in Norway against a Turkish family, Davutoglu told reporters, "we are profoundly sorry that one of our citizens lost her life in Norway. It is our duty to protect rights of all our citizens. This is also an issue of human rights. We officially called on Norwegian authorities to launch an investigation into the incident. Also, the Norwegian Embassy in Ankara was given a diplomatic note."

A 63-year-old woman died in Norway while waiting for an ambulance. When Dondu Tulum had a cardiac attack, his son Fedai Ucarli called for an ambulance. After paramedics were late, he made another call and yelled at officers. Police came to Turkish family's house and beat Ucarli, his wife and his brother-in-law. The old woman died at home in lack of medical assistance.

AA