ANKARA
Turkey's President Abdullah Gul last night gave one of his rare interviews live on tv and spoke on many domestic and foreign polici issues.
Gul made clear inaction by west on Syria will cause lenghty war and radicalisation. Turkish President also reiterated friendly countries doesn't seem to like Turkey's closer relations with Iraqi Kurdish administration.
-Iraq-
Gul said Turkey would not prefer weak relations with Baghdad, adding that Baghdad administration speaking against Turkey was disappointing yet intolerable, in a live TV interview on private broadcaster CNN Turk.
Gul stated parties advising Turkey to have good relations with northern Iraqi Kurdish entity were now unhappy to see Turkey having strong relations with Kurdish government. He said "Baghdad was important for us. It would be contradictory if we have weak ties with Baghdad, therefore we do not prefer weak relations". He said Turkey has always supported the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq, adding that there was a Turkish fortress in Irbil, people speak Turkish in city centrums, Turkish products were being sold in stores, and Turkish companies continue construction projects. Gul stated Turkey and the whole Iraq, especially Kurds were natural friends.
-Arab spring-
On a follow up to his call for reform in Islamic world in 2003, Gul said "everybody should organise their houses and do radical reforms in order to avoid revolts and/or foreign interventions". He said radical reforms made Turkey more stronger and an inspirer for both East and the West. Gul said the ones that could not have taken steps faced natural results in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. The president said the new leaders should be careful on managing the new process following the Arab Spring.
-Iran-
On relations with Iran, Gul said Turkey and Iran have different interests in the region, especially on Syria. Gul said Iran's attitude was more of a "threat perception" rather than being against Turkey. He said besides all differences Turkey and Iran have, their bilateral trade volume reached 20 billion USD, the highest in history.
-EU accession-
Regarding Turkey's accession to the EU, Gul said Germany and France had reservations. He said the membership process served the purpose of making Turkey stronger. He said Turkey would not be in Euro Zone if accepted as a full member.
-"Some see Syria's self-destruction as an opportunity"-
Answering a question whether he was concerned about the developments in Syria, Gul criticized the position of the United States and Europe. Warning that the extension of the war will mean more radicalization of the parties, Gul stated "There were those who see Syria's self destruction as an opportunity. Those who support the people with a strong rhetoric don't give meaningful support, whereas those who support the regime do it with all their power".
Acknowledging recent concern about Salafites as a real issue, Gul stressed that Syrian people were moderate and would not accept an oppressive government. He emphasized as well that Turkey was honored to host Syrian refugees.
