Investigations were under way for a long time to choose the place of the speech, which was hidden. Finally the Bosphorus Bridge, which connects Asia and Europe, and Ortaköy Mosque were decided as the background. The leading TV channels of the world broadcasted Bush’s speech live.
Bush said that he was proud to visit Turkey, which was a bridge opening to the world from the Asia, Europe and Middle East, and a model for many other countries with its 150-year history of democracy and social reform.
He described Turkey as an ally and friend, and thanked to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan for his leadership. He told; the U.S. believes that Turkey, being a European force, belongs to the European Union and that EU, by accepting Turkey as a member country, should break the artificial border between itself and Turkey and prove that it is not the club of a certain religion, namely Christianity. Bush also underlined that PKK was a terrorist organization.
