President Arroyo has been assured of the Turkish government of its all-out support for the Mindanao peace process aimed at ending the lingering armed conflict in the Southern Philippines, Malacañang Thursday said.

Quoting Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, who is accompanying the President in her three-nation swing, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said Mrs. Arroyo met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul who pledged his government’s assistance in building lasting peace in the troubled region.

“Earlier also this morning, the President met with (Turkish President) Gul in Ankara and both meetings went well. Turkey supports Mindanao process,” she told in a press briefing.

The Arroyo-Gul meeting took place, more than two months after they had a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the 15th Non-Aligned Movement Meeting in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh last July where the Turkish leader also expressed support for the Philippines’ observer status bid in the powerful Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). An OIC member, Turkey is a major player in maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East.

Fajardo also said Gul praised the Philippines’ good economic footing amid the gripping global financial meltdown.

“The Turkish President actually cited the Philippine economic resiliency. He actually cited that the Philippines has been doing a good job in our economic programs in times of global crisis,” she said.

Fajardo said the President also had Filipino community meeting in the Turkish capital of Istanbul last night. There are about 5,000 Filipinos in Turkey.

During a meeting with the Filipino community at the Swissotel The Bosphorus in Istanbul on Sept.16, Mrs. Arroyo took the opportunity to thank Turkey for their continued support to her administration’s peace efforts in Mindanao.

She said Turkey, a member of the OIC Peace Committee in Mindanao, is among the 12 countries that vowed support for the peace process in Mindanao.

Mrs. Arroyo also noted that Gul expressed interest in forging a defense cooperation agreement to further deepen the security relations between the Philippines and Turkey.

The President’s visit was made at the 60th anniversary celebration of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

She said proof of the expanded defense cooperation between the two countries is the continued upgrading of military equipment and vehicles, including tanks.

The President announced that six armored personnel carriers from Turkey will be delivered in November.

President Arroyo, who left the country on Wednesday early dawn, cancelled her New York trip due to conflict schedule and replaced it with a state visit to Turkey. She was supposed to address the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Her latest foreign trips from September 16 to 24 will be her 74th foreign travel since she assumed office in 2001.

From Turkey, the President flew to London to speak before an international forum “Emerging Markets Summit” initiated by The Economist magazine. She will stay in London until tomorrow.

Upon the invitation of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the President will travel to Saudi Arabia Sept. 21 to 23 where she is expected to renew Philippines’ ties with the oil-rich kingdom as well as to promote the welfare of more than one million overseas Filipino workers.

She is set to appeal to the King to pardon some jailed Filipino workers.

In 2006, Mrs. Arroyo had a working visit to Riyadh where she secured the release of 200 Filipino workers languishing in Saudi jails. Her visit this year will be her second to the oil-rich kingdom. Her visit also paved the way for the release of 500 more Filipino prisoners in 2007 and 2008.