Subjects: Turkey earthquake; Commemorative Peace Park; Bilateral Relations
E&OE …………………………………………………………………………
Well your Excellency, I would like to thank you very warmly for receiving me and extending your hospitality.
I think its true to say that relations between our countries are very close, we do have a special bond that grew out of our encounter all those years ago and the passage of time has produced a very sensitivity between the people of Turkey and the people of Australia and we value that as much as I know by your words you value that and we do have in Australia now as you say 100,000 to 150,000 people of Turkish descent, ancestry everyone making a wonderful contribution to our very diverse community and those links help to keep the two countries and two societies together.
There was a genuine anguish in Australia not only amongst Turkish Australians but amongst all Australians at the devastation caused by the earthquake and the response from the public as well as from the government was the evidence of that anguish.
I do want to take the opportunity of thanking Turkey for its contribution to the ongoing United Nations effort in East Timor. You contributed some 20 civilian police and also some military observers. The fact that we were able to get a very broadly-based force is adding to the effectiveness of what has happened in East Timor. I know I come to your country at a very important phase of its political activities and I hope that at some time in the future in whatever capacity Sir you have the opportunity of visiting Australia and you would be very very welcome. Any leader, any senior figure from Turkey would always be welcome to our country.
On a personal matter, I want to thank you very much for the development of the Gallipoli Peninsula as a contemplative peace park. I know that you, yourself have played a very major role in this and that is very warmly appreciated and I will have an opportunity tomorrow and on ANZAC Day to see the changes that have taken place on the Peninsula. I know how much you have encouraged it and how you as the Turkish Head of State, the impetus that you have given to that.
You are right in saying that there are no bilateral difficulties between our two countries, it is a very positive relationship. We can always make it better. We can always improve the trade and investment and I hope that in the time that we have over lunch and also in my discussions with the Prime Minister that we will have an opportunity to canvas ways in which that can happen.
This is my first visit to Turkey and I have been received with such friendship and warmth. I appreciate it very very much and I do convey to you and all of your people the very good wishes of the Australian people. We do feel a special affinity for all the reasons we both understand and it is nice though to have the opportunity to personally say to the Turkish Head of State that those feelings are very genuine and congratulations on can I say as the leader of a great sporting country to another country that loves it sport, congratulations on the football and your success.
PRESIDENT DEMIREL:
We still have one step further…
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Yeah one step to go but I know how fond the people of your country are of soccer as we call it, football. I can sense the enthusiasm, you’ve only got one step to go.
PRESIDENT DEMIREL:
Almost within a week, this country will not sleep, is not sleeping and we are not going to sleep and its amazing …. And everybody forget to eat and TO sleep.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well we have not long ago gone through the experience in rugby of winning the World Cup and we understand that many of us that follow it, not all of our country does… we stayed up late…
PRESIDENT DEMIREL:
I thank you for your mentioning it and are happy and our people are very happy because you mentioned it. I would like to say a couple of things about the peace park. The peace park is going to the national ….. then your country deserved it in our opinion. Now it is going to be a beautiful example of serving the peace. What we are attempt to ….it here is 500,000 young men …. they fought and what for and that, yes they have been dead but they have a message to the world to do the one thing. That message is live in peace. No more people should be killed. I think its simple. A very extraordinary project and that everything has been done to know the design, I think it will take ten more years to develop further. It will be developed very carefully. We had a very bad fire a couple of years ago and everything should be taken care of so that this isn’t repeated. It’s a fine project and we should work together to get the thing done.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Just on the park, we are finding in Australia an immense upsurge of interest amongst our young in the wars and the sacrifice of young Australians in earlier generations and one of the reasons as you know that we had to shift the memorial from its original spot was that there was not enough room for all the thousands of young Australians and New Zealanders that gather, not only on ANZAC Day, but on so many other occasions and I agree very much that it should always be an encouragement of people to preserve peace and to resolve that we never again suffer such an horrific loss of life from those on both sides.