Turkey’s Cicek Solicits China

In Beijing, Cicek met with Luo Gan yesterday, a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and Shen Deyong, Deputy Chair of the High Court. During the meeting with Gan, Cicek iterated that Turkey, in its continuing attempts to lift the sanctions on the Cypriot Turks, expected support from China.

In addition, in his meeting with Deyong, Cicek said that judicial cooperation between the two countries could facilitate other intergovernmental relations.

Chinese officials, in light of Turkey’s current negotiations with the European Union (EU), expressed their interest in Turkey’s experience with reform.

Cicek, while evaluating his visit to China, noted that he was the first Turkish Justice Minister to visit China. To improve relations, Cicek continued, visits between officials at higher levels and a faster bureaucratic process were necessary.

Cicek answered questions from Turkish Journalists concerning the current agenda, specifically, the application of reforms. When asked about a possible accession date, Cicek said: "The EU should give a date, and we believe that they will give one. Turkey has fulfilled the political criteria better than the countries that became a member on May 1. A contrary decision would be a surprise and we would not accept it."