Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Kosovo
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Saturday met top Kosovar officials.
On the second day of his two-day visit to Kosovo's capital Pristina, he met Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli, and Public Administration Minister Mahir Yağcılar.
Turkey's Ambassador to Pristina Kıvılcım Kılıç and other officials also attended the meeting which lasted about 35 minutes.
Separately, Cavusoglu met Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseli for 45 minutes.
He will also meet Kosovo Turks in the southwestern city of Prizren.
On the first day of the visit, Cavusoglu met President Hashim Thaci.
Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday held a ceremony to commemorate the 15th death anniversary of the country's first president Alija Izetbegovic.The state-level commemoration -- attended by Izetbegovic's relatives and Bosnian state officials as well as Turkey's Ambassador in Sarajevo Haldun Koc and President of the Turkish Constitutional Court Zuhtu Arslan -- was held at the Kovaci Cemetery in capital Sarajevo, where Izetbegovic's grave stands.Denis Zvizdic, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina said that Izetbegovic was a helpful man of the state and a philosopher.Prayers were held and flowers were laid at the tomb of Izetbegovic."Alija was a warrior fighting for an independent and sovereign Bosnia-Herzegovina," said Zvizdic.A conference called "Aliya Izetbegovic and his understanding of law and state" was also held in the capital.The conference was carried out in cooperation with Turkey's Yildirim Beyazit University and the University of Sarajevo, and with the support of Turkey's Ziraat Bank and the Turkish Embassy in Sarajevo.Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu commemorated Izetbegovic's death anniversary via his twitter account."I commemorate the wise King of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegovic with respect and mercy at the 15th anniversary," said the tweet.Friday marks the 15th death anniversary of Alija Izetbegovic, independent Bosnia’s first president and a pivotal figure in the troubled history of the Balkans.Izetbegovic -- a politician, writer and lawyer who came to international prominence during the country’s bitter 1992-1995 war -- is commemorated every year on his death anniversary.Often dubbed the "Wise King", Izetbegovic managed to gain independence for his country on March 1, 1992 -- months after Slovenia and Croatia broke away from the former Yugoslavia.Izetbegovic died in Sarajevo on Oct. 19, 2003 of natural causes, having served as president of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1992 to 1996 and as chairman of the Bosnian presidency until October 2000.
Bosnia-Herzegovina commemorates 1st president's death
Turkey's foreign minister on Thursday hailed Turkey's efforts at humanitarian aid, comparing $8 billion in Turkish aid in 2017 to $6-7 billion in aid from the U.S., which has the world's largest GDP."Turkey is at the highest level in humanitarian aid. Last year we spent $8 billion and the U.S. -- the richest country in the world -- spent $6 or 7 billion," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in the Albanian capital Tirana, at the University of New York Tirana's school year opening ceremony."I'm just giving an example. In 2016, the U.S. spent $6.3 billion while Turkey spent $6 billion. The U.S. was first, Turkey second."Founded in 2002, the University of New York Tirana was Albania's first private university, and Turkey's Maarif Foundation (TMV) assumed stewardship of the school this August.‘Turkey managed refugee influx remarkably well’Çavuşoğlu said Turkey is dealing with many problems in the region such as terrorism and migration and underlined Turkey's efforts for 3.5 million Syrians and more than a half million migrants from other countries.International institutions must be transformed to be more comprehensive and representative, he also argued."International institutions and systems should be more visible and more effective. They need to be reformed," said Çavuşoğlu."Which policy of the European Union is satisfactory for the Western Balkans? Can the UN represent the world of today? No.Turkey halfway through dam construction in Djibouti"Comprehensive? No. Representative? No. Can it prevent any conflict? No."Can the UN bring solutions to any problems or conflicts today through peaceful negotiations and mediation?"Turkey has long pushed for the UN Security Council to be larger and more representative of the entire world.
'Turkey gives about as much in foreign aid as the US'