President Ilves, who arrived in Ankara for an official visit, assured Estonia’s steady support for Turkey’s convergence with the European Union and the reforms to be implemented for that purpose.

“The European Union will not be complete without Turkey,” emphasised the Estonian Head of State.

“All the friends of Turkey have two huge tasks – to prove to those who look upon enlargement with scepticism in the European Union that Turkey is committed to democratic reforms and to help the Turkish government show their people that these reforms are necessary, especially to improve the living standards of Turkish people,” said the Estonian Head of State.

President Ilves made an entry into the book of honours in the mausoleum of Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first President “I pay my homage to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, an outstanding statesman, who realised that only modernisation and reforms allow us to create a modern society. This is how he shaped the face of the world and paved a way for Turkey into today’s Europe.”

President Ilves reminded that Turkey is a good friend of Estonia and a strong ally in NATO: Turkey was the first member of the alliance in the South-Eastern Europe and Mediterranean region to secure the airspace of the Baltic states; now Turkey is ready to send its representative to the NATO Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.

“I am sure that the economic and trade relations between Estonia and Turkey will bounce back in the near future; and we are certainly still interested in launching direct flights between the two countries,” the Estonian Head of State admitted.

Presidents Ilves and Mr. Gül also touched upon the crisis centres in the region.

“Estonia wants the issue of Cyprus to be resolved in the interests of the Cypriot people, Turkey, and Greece as well as also Estonia’s interests, as this is an issue that is hampering the very co-operation between NATO and the European Union,” President Ilves stated.

The Estonian and Turkish heads of state also discussed the developments in the search for solutions to the Mountain Karabakh conflicts and the situation in Afghanistan, where the defence force members of both countries serve in the NATO-led security forces.

“However, NATO’s success in Afghanistan is not solely dependent on the courage of the troops of the alliance but as much or even more on the ability of the Afghan government to assume control in the country and to what extent NATO and our allies can increase their civil contribution. Of course, stability in Pakistan is also a contributing factor,” President Ilves said. “Here, Turkey has taken a leading role in initiating regional co-operation in this area, as well as organising top-level communication between Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

When speaking about energy security, the Estonian Head of State assured that Turkey plays a strategic role in ensuring alternative energy supply to the European Union.

According to President Ilves, this year and the next will be especially important for the cultural relations between Estonia and Turkey.

The Head of State will meet with the Turkish president, Mr. Abdullah Gül, the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the Chairman of the Turkish General Assembly, Mr. Mehmet Ali Şahin. President Ilves will also give a lecture at Bilkent University, Ankara.

President Ilves will meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, in Istanbul.

From Turkey, President Ilves and Mrs. Evelin Ilves will proceed to the Republic of Poland, where they will be present at the funeral ceremony of the President of Poland, Mr. Lech Kaczyński, and his wife Maria on Sunday in Krakow.

Border controls will be carried out in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code and State Borders Act.

Secretary General Kokk said that Turkey’s primary challenges are related to building up rule of law to ensure democracy and the functioning of the economy, which are essential prerequisites for joining the European Union. Secretary General Kokk confirmed that Estonia is prepared to share its accession experiences with Turkey. Secretary General Kokk also said that the parties involved should be actively working on resolving the Cyprus problem. “We feel that it is necessary to successfully conclude the Cyprus dialogue and resolve the island’s problems under UN auspices. This is vital for the people of Cyprus as well as Turkey and the European Union in general,” emphasised Kokk.

During their meeting, the secretaries general also addressed the situation in the Western Balkans. “Estonia firmly supports the European Union prospects of the Western Balkan countries, as they offer the region an opportunity for stability and socio-economic growth,” said Kokk. They also spent some time discussing matters related to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Recently Turkey has been active in trying to find common elements among the political communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “The inability of the communities to agree on the political future and further reforms for the nation has created a tense situation which demands the focused attention of the international community,” Kokk noted.

Also under discussion at the meeting were matters related to the Southern Caucasus. “We should use all opportunities to gradually reach a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said Kokk, adding that Estonia welcomes the regular meetings between the Armenian and Turkish presidents and between Azerbaijan and Armenia and supports the continuation of dialogue.

The snow and sun brought together around a thousand skiing fans from all over Turkey, as well as foreign diplomats from Ankara and Istanbul. The guests of honour skiing the course were Secretary General of the Estonian Foreign Ministry Marten Kokk and Secretary General of the Finnish Foreign Ministry Pertti Torstila.

The skiing was followed by an open-air reception dedicated to the 92nd anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

The Estonian Embassy in Ankara would like to thank all of its partners, especially the governor of Bolu and the mayor, without whom this year’s ski festival would not have been possible.