Turkey says China "invited" Turkish journalists to Uighur region

Turkey says China "invited" Turkish journalists to Uighur region


Turkish FM Davutoglu talked to Chinese Foreign Minister Yang on the phone regarding the recent violence in East Turkistan.
Sunday, 12 July 2009 16:27
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu talked to Chinese Foreign Minister Jiechi Yang on the phone regarding the recent violence in East Turkistan.

Han Chinese attack on Uighur workers in a factory, that cost lives of two people and injured 118, sparked massive protests in East Turkistan that China changed its name to "Xinjiang" in 1955, calling it "Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region."

Anadolu news agency quoted Foreign ministry as saying "the telephone conversation lasted for one hour and 15 minutes."

Davutoglu "clearly conveyed Turkey's sensitivities and expectations on the matter and expressed the reaction to the incidents in the public."

Davutoglu said Uighur people was "a bridge of friendship" in Chinese-Turkish relations, and underlined that Turkey considered this matter from human rights point of view.

Davutoglu said Turkey was "not intended to interfere with the domestic affairs of China" and "respected territorial integrity of this country", stressing that China would be strengthened in case the investigation into the incidents is concluded urgently and transparently.

China officially raised the death toll to 184 in police crackdown, but Uighur World Congress put the death toll from the unrest at between 600 and 800, saying the estimate was based on eyewitness accounts of the violence.

"Invitation by China for Turkish journalists"

Turkish foreign minister also welcomed an invitation by China for the Turkish journalists to visit the places where the incidents occurred.

Chinese foreign minister Yang said Turkish-Chinese relations were "strategic", and noted China "attached a high importance" to relations with Turkey.

Chinese minister defended the process of masive arrests as saying that the perpetrators would be brought into court "without any ethnical discrimination".