'Turkey's Asia Anew move not turning back on Europe'

By Sibel Morrow and Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey does not turn its back on Europe with its Asia Anew initiative, the country's foreign minister said on Thursday.

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

Cavusoglu 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, Cavusoglu 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.