Turkey's Asia Anew move not turning back on Europe: Turkish FM

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkey does not turn its back on Europe with its Asia Anew initiative, the country's foreign minister said on Aug. 8.

"Being in Europe and being European are very important for us as well as being in Asia and being Asian," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told a news conference on the sidelines of the 11th Ambassadors Conference in Turkey's capital Ankara.

Çavuşoğlu said Turkey's recent Asia Anew initiative was not an axis shift and the country would not turn its back on Europe.

He emphasized that Turkey links Asia with Europe and that the country is a bridge between the East and the West with its geographical position, its role and activities.

Highlighting that Asia is becoming the world's economic center, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey wants to further enhance its relations with Asia in multiple dimensions.

"We want to move forward our relations with the Asian countries and the regional organizations with a holistic approach, taking into account their differences," the foreign minister said.

He said the scope of this initiative would include education and defense industry in addition to the economy.