Turkey, “Prepared to Support Information and Logistics for the Dispatch of Korean Troops in Iraq”

On April 19 (local time), in relation to the issue of dispatching Korean troops to the Kurdistan region in Iraq, Turkish Prime Minister Abdulla Gul stated, “There are no problems as to wherever the troops are dispatched,” and added, “I am willing to support information and logistics if Korea requests them.”

In the case of dispatching troops to the Kurdistan region, the government has been concerned with resistance from Turkey because of the Kurdistan issue, however, Turkey has displayed understanding regarding this matter.

Minister Gul held a joint press conference that day with South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, who is visiting Turkey, and announced, “I hope the Korean government achieves its desired outcome through the dispatch of troops in Iraq.”

Minister Ban, who officially visited Turkey for the first time since establishing diplomatic relations in 1957, stated, “The designated region for dispatching Korean troops is either Arbil or Sulaymania (where the majority of Kurds reside), however due to the nature of the area, there are partial concerns,” and requested understanding and support from the Turkish government.

On the other hand, Minister Gul commented, “Regarding the economic relation between the two countries, the adverse balance of trade is our biggest concern,” and proposed the problem that Turkey’s amount of export to Korea last year was $1.374 billion while import was a mere $0.078 billion.

Minister Ban is planning to pay a courtesy call on Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on April 20 and visit Greece on April 21.