ANKARA
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that Turkish investments in Germany were on the rise.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday, Erdogan stressed that "since 2002, Turkish direct investments in Germany were worth around 1.5 billion USD."
"Our tete-a-tete meeting and meeting between respective delegations were all fruitful. We have thanked Ms. Merkel for the German patriot systems deployed in Turkey as part of a NATO cooperation," Erdogan stressed.
"Our trade volume with Germany has reached 35 billion USD," Erdogan noted.
"The number of Turkish businesspeople in Germany has reached 70,000. By 2015, the number of Turkish businesspeople in Germany will reach 120,000," Erdogan expressed.
"The turnover of Turkish businesspeople in Germany is expected to reach 100 billion USD by 2015," Erdogan said.
"We have requested Germany's support for our temporary membership in the UN Security Council for the term 2015-2016 and for hosting the EXPO-2020," Erdogan also said.
Erdogan rejects criticisms over jailed journalists in Turkey
Prime minister dismissed accusations that journalists are behind bars in Turkey because of their dissident views of the Turkish government.
"The number of incarcerated journalists in Turkey do not exceed a handful. And the reason they are behind bars are not things they wrote," Erdogan told reporters in response to a question during a joint press appearance with Merkel.
Erdogan said imprisoned journalists were either involved with plots to overthrow the elected government or they had connections with terrorist organizations, adding that judiciary was independent in Turkey and it did not work on the orders of the executive branch.
"Just recently six journalists have been arrested in Britain and 50 others are still in jail. Have you ever wondered the reason why they are imprisoned. And particulary I recommend you to find out whether they have connections with IRA," Erdogan said.
German chancellor expresses support for reviving Turkey's EU talks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her government's support for reviving Turkey's stalled talks with the European Union during a meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Monday in Ankara, the Turkish capital, Gul's press office said.
Merkel told the Turkish president that the two countries carried out regular consultations about the fight against terrorism and latest developments in Turkey's region, adding that economic relations had made a stable progress to reach their current level.
"Our multi-dimensional relations based on friendship and ties of alliance are diversifying with each passing day. Our economic relations have a great potential. We closely monitor Turkey's economic achievements and successful performance," Merkel told the meeting with Gul.
The Turkish president, on his part, said it was important for Germany to support Turkey's EU membership in line with the pledges made to the country, adding that Turkey and Germany had historical ties of friendship and alliance.
Gul said Germany was Turkey's top trade partner, adding that bilateral trade volume reached $35 billion in 2012 and that 5 million German tourists visited Turkey each year.
Erdogan meets religious leaders
Erdogan met with the representatives of various religious communities in a meeting that was also attended by Merkel.
Mufti of Ankara M. Hakki Ozer, Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeow, Deputy Armenian Patriarch Aram Atesyan, Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva, Assyrian Mor Gabriel Monastery's Metropolitian Bishop Samuel Aktas, Deputy Assyrian Catholic Patriarch Yusuf Sag, and member of the Executive Board of Turkish Protestant Churches Umut Sahin attended the meeting in Ankara.
