Turkey says no foreign policy shift

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Thursday (June 10th) that his country is committed to its links with both the East and the West. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul, meanwhile, denied there has been a shift in Ankara’s foreign policy. Speaking to journalists in Istanbul on Friday, Gul said: “Look, this is the European side of Istanbul, there is the Asian side over there and the bridge stands right in the middle.”

Last week Turkey, along with Brazil, voted against UN sanctions at a Security Council meeting. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Friday that he is “disappointed” by the vote, but acknowledged that allies sometimes disagree. “Turkey continues to play a critical part in the Alliance,” he said at a press conference following a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.