BAGIS EVALUATED TURKEY'S TEMPORARY MEMBERSHIP TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL

AK Party Vice Chairman Egemen Bagis stated that the big support on Turkey's temporary membership to UN Security Council is a great indication of a belief regarding Turkey's efforts on peace at home and abroad. Bagis mentioned that even having offered as a candidate to the temporary membership to UN Security Council is a huge step on its own, and reminded that Turkey will be represented within two years in the Council.

Bagis said that with this membership, Turkey has become a country which will not only apply the decisions taken on bilateral or multilateral issues and all conflicts emerging on the world, but also discuss and put them on its agenda, provide military shipment and impose economic embargos if necessary.

Having said that the support to Turkey's membership given by 151 countries out of 192 having the voting right is a great indication of a belief regarding Turkey's efforts on objectivism and peace at home and abroad, Bagis noted that this is realized by the efforts of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Assembly, Member of Parliaments and diplomats. Bagis followed:

"Hereafter, we have to maintain to remunerate this support for our efforts thus far and henceforth. The Prime Minister of Republic of Turkey's receiving broad acceptance in the presence of the contracting states in respect of the conflict in Georgia; Israel and Syria's four times negotiations under the auspices of Turkey considering that both countries declared to trust only Turkey's intermediacy with respect to the Golan hills; Israel and Palestine's leaders' giving peace messages at TGNA before participating to Annapolis Summit; the start of the diplomatic negotiations between Pakistan and Israel in Istanbul instead of Tel Aviv or Karachi are all indications of the trust to Turkey's determination to provide peace in the world. As a result of this, Turkey has been elected to UN Security Council membership."

TEMPORARY MEMBERSHIP AND CYPRUS

On the subject of Turkey's temporary membership to UN Security Council concerning the process of Cyprus, Egemen Bagis stated that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Turkey have always been accused parties for years but after the negotiations and voting within the context of Annan Plan, the whole world perceived that the obstacle for the peace was Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus rather than Turks and TRNC.

Stating that Turks' reply "Yes" to the Annan Plan has changed all the international balances without giving one inch of the ground and withdrawing a single soldier, Bagis said:

"World has now become very conscious to see the sincere side on the subject of Cyprus. Our policies towards Cyprus have played an important role to attain this great support on our membership to UN Security Council. Hristofyas and Talat have assembled four times recently. We support a common state model in the island to be established by two founder states based on political equality. We support Mr. Talat's negotiator position. Security Council will establish a ground for Turkey to argue its thesis more explicitly when this issue comes to Security Council's agenda."