KUNA, 2.9.2016

"Turkey keen to improve ties with Egypt,Syria-PM"

"Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim asserted Friday his country's keenness to improve relations with Egypt and Syria following Turkey's move to normalize relations with Russia and Israel.

In a televised speech marking the 100th day of Turkey's government reassessment meeting, Yildrim vowed to sustain the country's security without making any compromises.

Though he did not give a timeline for restoring ties with either of the Arab nations, Yildrim said that Turkey would like to see normalization with Egypt and Syria so that Ankara can also better its relations with these countries.

However, Yildrim strongly dismissed any possible reconciliation with the PKK terrorist organization, underlining that the solution lies with the militants themselves.

Yildrim noted that Turkey aims to increase friends and lessen its foes, and stressed that there will certainly not be any loosening on the counter-terrorism fight.

Touching upon many issues, the premier also said that Turkey was aiming to patch up strained relations with its allies while making no compromises in its fight against terror both inside and outside the country.

The premier added that Turkey suffered USD 3.3 billion losses because of PKK attacks.

He also underlined that 52,000 of the so-called IS suspects from 145 countries have been restricted from entering Turkey as well.

Commenting on economy, Yildrim stated that there have been significant efforts made in the Ministry of Economy as he stated that Turkey's Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) has been established and the start of developmental projects totaling USD 1.4 billion in 20 Turkish cities, mostly in the eastern and southern part of the country.

The assessment meeting of the government was attended by all ministers as each of them provided detailed information on the actions that they plan to take or have already taken."