Blog
Despite having strained relations with Israel, Turkey seeks to mend humanitarian ties. In a landmark move, the country will be represented by Parliamentary Speaker Cemil Çiçek at the upcoming Holocaust remembrance event to be held in the capital Ankara for the first time.
Parliamentary Speaker Cemil Çiçek, the second person who serves as acting president in the absence of the president, will attend the Holocaust Remembrance Day event on January 27 in the capital Ankara. The decision shows that Turkey is still looking to maintain ties with Israel, at least on a humanitarian level, in spite of a strained relationship with Tel Aviv.
QANTAS will add a special flight for Australians to attend Anzac centenary commemoration services in Turkey.
The airline will fly a reconfigured Boeing 747 aircraft which seats 364 passengers from Sydney to Istanbul via Perth on April 21, 2015, subject to regulatory approval.
Qantas says it is proud to offer the special return flight to Turkey to mark the April 25 Anzac landing at Gallipoli.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has called on all Armenians to jointly seek ways to resolve their historical differences with Turkey, stressing that it is a must for Turks and Armenians to “engage in humane relations and to recognize each other in light of 800 years of common history.”
“It’s possible for two ancient people to have the maturity to understand each other and to look to the future together. Turks and Armenians, sharing the same geography and long history, can only talk to each other about their problems and seek together ways to resolve them. It is a necessity for us to develop mutual trust and cooperation, to know each other again in light of our 800 years of common history, and to engage in a humane relationship,” Davutoğlu said in a written statement issued on Jan. 20, a day after the eighth anniversary of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.