We had a particulary busy time in April. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's official visit to Syria attracted considerable international attention, while the heads of state of Korea, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria all paid visits to Turkey. On April 23, the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Parliament was celebrated with the participation of children from all around the world. On April 24, the focus switched to the Armenian issue - and not without testing the nerves of Turkish public opinion, Although the facts have not yet been fully clarified, parliaments in a number of countries resolved that Turks committed genocide against Armenians in 1915.

In the  context, a little anecdote springs to mind. Only a few years ago, the authorities in a town in southern Turkey wanted to authorise housing development on an attractive site where construction had previously been prohibited because it was situated on a fault line and at high risk from earthquakes. The lected municipal council found the solution by voting to relocate the fault line 20km further north! Some resolutions do not change realities very much.

Meanwhile, a judge in Switzerland issued an order for the arrest of a Turkish history professor who has publicly denied that genocide was inflicted on the Armenians. The order has not changed the mind of the professor. One is faintly reminded of Galileo, who, when ordered to be arrested for declaring that the world revolved arround the sun, could not but help murmur, "But it does revolve arround the sun! Some court decisions do not change realities very much either.

Diplomat this month opens its pages to Kürşad TÜZMEN the Minister of State for Foreign Trade. Nobody can speak more authoritatively on the progress of Turkey's foreign trade and on the difficulties which it faces. Another of our guests is Mr. Nguyen Sy Xung, the first Vietnamese Ambassador to Turkey. Ambassador Xung, who arrived in Ankara just a few weeks ago, made his first statements about his country and its views to DİPLOMAT.

Also featured in this edition is Selvi MARSILI, the elegant wife of the Italian Ambassador. By a happy coincidence, our travel pages take the reader to Italy too - and specificially to Venice, a unique city with which many readers will already be familiar, but which deserves to be called to mind frequently.

We also visit Dalyan, a Turkish holiday destination of outstanding natural beauty overlooked by the ancient city of Kaunos. Our feature on Kaunos is sure to be of interest. Who knows? Perhaps we will bump into you there this summer.

Kaya Dorsan

Publisher and editor-in-chief