Peace in the Balkans is critical: Turkish deputy PM
'Without peace in the Balkans, you can't have global peace,’ says Turkey's Hakan Cavusoglu
Turkey’s deputy prime minister on Sunday stressed the importance of peace in the Balkans.
“If you do not provide peace in the Balkans, you cannot have global peace,” Hakan Cavusoglu told an event in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bursa.
“If the atmosphere of peace in the Balkans is lost, this would threaten the entire whole world,” he added.
Cavusoglu, who was born in Greece, said that Turkey’s view of the Balkans is that “all of our brothers and sisters should live there as first-class citizens”.
New scholarships
Cavusoglu also said that new scholarships for Turkish citizens living and studying abroad would be provided by Turkey’s Foundations Directorate General.
He said that a bill to that effect would become law after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signs it.
The students "wouldn't need to come here, they would be studying" abroad, he added.
The deputy premier also said Turkish-origin Bulgarian and Greek citizens who enter Turkey up until Dec. 21 will be granted long-term residence permits.
The necessary work has been done and the legislation will go into effect in a couple of days, he added.
