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Turkish Press Review, 06-06-30
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
30.06.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER MEETS WITH PUTIN, DISCUSSES BILATERAL RELATIONS
[02] ARINC: “OUR EU MEMBERSHIP GOAL CONTINUES AS STRONG AS EVER”
[03] ERDOGAN: “WE HAVEN’T FALLEN BEHIND IN EU NEGOTIATIONS”
[04] PARLIAMENT APPROVES ANTI-TERROR BILL
[05] FINNISH FM: “WE’LL DO OUR BEST TO MAKE TURKEY STAY IN THE EU NEGOTIATION PROCESS”
[06] IMF’S KRUEGER ADDRESSES MEETING OF INVESTMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
[07] MEETING OF CIVILIZATIONS TO BE DISCUSSED IN ANKARA
[08] EU’S REHN: “TURKEY’S TALKS COULD BE SUSPENDED”
[09] WILSON: “THE US HAS NO PLANS FOR A PERMANENT NAVAL PRESENCE IN THE BLACK SEA”
[10] TRNC’S TALAT TO MEET WITH GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER
[11] ANKARA URGES COMMON SENSE IN THE MIDEAST
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[13] IS THIS FRANCE’S IGNORANCE? BY M. ALI KISLALI (RADIKAL)
[01] SEZER MEETS WITH PUTIN, DISCUSSES BILATERAL RELATIONS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, currently in Moscow for a historic official
visit, yesterday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a
number of issues, including bilateral relations. During their meeting,
Sezer said that Ankara hopes to boost the trade volume between Turkey and
Russia to about $25 billion. “Last year trade volume between our countries
reached $15 billion and we want to bring this up further,” said Sezer.
Putin stated that he had met with Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan many
times since his visit to Turkey in 2004, adding that relations between the
two countries were growing stronger. Saying that the Russian government
wanted to boost the bilateral trade volume between the two countries, Putin
added that trade volume was increasing annually by about 35-40%. “Relations
between our two countries are taking on a new dimension,” added Putin.
/Sabah/
[02] ARINC: “OUR EU MEMBERSHIP GOAL CONTINUES AS STRONG AS EVER”
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said yesterday that Turkey hadn’t deviated
from its goal to become a full European Union member. Speaking to reporters
before leaving for Copenhagen, Denmark, to participate in an EU parliament
speakers meeting, Arinc said Turkey was continuing its relations with the
EU in a normal manner. Stressing that Turkey was now a country carrying out
accession talks, Arinc pointed out that the talks could be tiring and
difficult, adding that Ankara was determined on the road to full membership
and proceeding towards that aim. “We only regret the issues put before us,
including the Cyprus issue, which are not among the real criteria," said
Arinc. /Turkiye/
[03] ERDOGAN: “WE HAVEN’T FALLEN BEHIND IN EU NEGOTIATIONS”
In an interview with Spanish daily El Pais published yesterday, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara had not fallen behind in its
European Union negotiations process. Stressing that Turkey was continuing
reforms to harmonize with the EU at an appropriate speed, Erdogan said that
Turkey should devote at least a decade to EU talks, adding that Ankara had
implemented its commitments to begin accession talks. The premier
underlined hat Turkey could only open up its airports and harbors to Greek
Cyprus when the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) is completely lifted. “Settlement of the Cyprus issue is in
the hands of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan,” said Erdogan.
Asked about his possibly running for president next year, Erdogan said,
“I’m a man of politics, and the leader of the Justice and Development Party
(AKP), which got the most votes in the last general elections.” He added
that the next general elections would be held in November 2007, as
scheduled. /Sabah/
[04] PARLIAMENT APPROVES ANTI-TERROR BILL
Parliament yesterday passed a sweeping new anti-terror bill. “We didn’t
restrict freedom of press and expression in the new law,” said Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek, and added, “We tried to cite texts from comparative
law and in framework decisions.” Under the law, which expands the scope of
crimes of terrorism, intentionally burning down forestland and taking
cultural and natural assets abroad would be among terrorist crimes. /Star/
[05] FINNISH FM: “WE’LL DO OUR BEST TO MAKE TURKEY STAY IN THE EU
NEGOTIATION PROCESS”
Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said yesterday that the Finnish
government would do its best to maintain ties between Turkey and the
European Union and to make sure Ankara stays in the negotiation process.
Finland will assume the rotating EU term presidency tomorrow. Saying that
there were things that Turkey needed to do, the Finnish leader stated that
EU talks could be suspended if Turkey doesn’t recognize Greek Cyprus. “This
may become a serious problem, which could hinder Turkey’s talks,” he said.
“But we’ll do our best to prevent such a situation. I believe that the
Turkish government is aware of this.” /Sabah/
[06] IMF’S KRUEGER ADDRESSES MEETING OF INVESTMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
International Monetary Fund First Deputy Managing Director Anne Krueger
yesterday addressed a meeting of the Investment Advisory Council attended
by CEOs of 19 foreign companies, all international giants. Addressing the
gathering, Krueger said that the IMF expected inflation to be higher than
the 5% target, adding that this was unavoidable due to recent changes in
the exchange rate. “There will be no change in the inflation target in the
mid-term,” she said. Stressing that there was a normal fiscal atmosphere in
Turkey, Krueger stated that the markets had had various reactions to
inflation and certain risks. “The government is taking necessary measures
and putting public expenditures under control,” said Krueger. “The Central
Bank successfully intervened in the markets in recent fluctuations. There
will be bright days for Turkey in the mid-term, but there is still much to
do to boost the competitive power of the economy.” Also addressing the
gathering, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey had the
capacity and strength to overcome recent fluctuations, adding that the
government was determined to finish the economic transformation it began.
Erdogan stressed that the government was pursuing determined and
disciplined policies, adding that Turkey had reached difficult goals for
sustainable growth. “With our policies, confidence in our economy is
strengthening,” added Erdogan. “Foreign direct investments (FDI), which
were about $1 billion in 2003, rose to $9.7 billion last year. Our reforms
made Turkey the world’s 17th biggest economy.” /Milliyet/
[07] MEETING OF CIVILIZATIONS TO BE DISCUSSED IN ANKARA
The Global Forum, sponsored by the Greater Ankara Municipality, opens today
at Ankara’s Sheraton Hotel, with the theme of “Meeting of Civilizations.”
Approximately 400 heads of state, religious leaders, representatives from
international organizations, and well-known musicians will participate in
the conference aimed at building bridges between cultures and
civilizations. /Turkish Daily News/
[08] EU’S REHN: “TURKEY’S TALKS COULD BE SUSPENDED”
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said yesterday that
Turkey’s accession talks could be suspended if it doesn’t open its airports
and harbors to Greek Cyprus. Asked by Finnish news agency STT if the
negotiations would be suspended if Turkey refuses to take action on the
Greek Cypriot administration, Rehn said, “It’s a possibility. I hope we
don’t have to resort to that, but we have no reason not to if there are
grounds to do so.” A similar message was given by Erkki Tuomioja, foreign
minister of Finland which will assume the EU’s term presidency tomorrow.
Toumioja said unless Ankara moves on the Cyprus issue before the end of
this year it’s possible that talks could be frozen, adding, “It would be a
failure for the European Union and we’ll do our utmost to avoid that.”
/Hurriyet/
[09] WILSON: “THE US HAS NO PLANS FOR A PERMANENT NAVAL PRESENCE IN THE
BLACK SEA”
US Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson on Thursday dismissed wide speculations
about US military plans in the Black Sea, saying his country wasn’t looking
for a permanent naval presence in this sea. “Our goal is to work together
with our friends and allies in the Black Sea region and advocate
cooperation and security within the framework that they want,” he said.
Wilson spoke at the Ari Movement’s Eighth International Security Conference,
a two-day seminar where democratization and the security of the Black Sea
are the main topics. The US ambassador underlined that his country fully
respects the Montreaux Treaty, which limits the entrance and presence of
foreign military forces in the Black Sea. /The New Anatolian/
[10] TRNC’S TALAT TO MEET WITH GREEK CYPRIOT LEADER
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat will
meet with Greek Cypriot administration leader Tassos Papadopoulos on
Monday. The two leaders will meet in the buffer zone at the residence of
Michael Moller, the UN secretary general's special representative and head
of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). Talat and Papadopoulos
will participate in the meeting held in the honor of the arrival of the
third member of the Missing Persons Committee, Christophe Girod.
/Cumhuriyet/
[11] ANKARA URGES COMMON SENSE IN THE MIDEAST
The Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday expressed its concern over recent
developments in the Mideast following the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.
In a written statement, the Foreign Ministry called on both sides to act
with common sense and urged Palestine to release the soldier as soon as
possible and Israel to end its military operation in Gaza. The statement
added that the ongoing tension and possible clashes would only serve the
interests of circles opposed to a comprehensive and permanent solution in
the region. /Turkiye/
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[13] IS THIS FRANCE’S IGNORANCE? BY M. ALI KISLALI (RADIKAL)
Columnist M. Ali Kislali comments on a speech made by a retired French
admiral. A summary of his column is as follows:
“Jean Dufourq is a retired French admiral who now works for NATO’s Defense
College in Italy. This month he attended a European Union-sponsored seminar
which examined Turkey’s contributions to the EU in the area of security, if
it becomes an EU member. Speaking at the seminar, he said, ‘The fact that
Turkey has a large army means nothing to the EU.’ When I heard this I asked
myself, isn’t it strange for such a person to act as if he doesn’t know
that Turkey’s support isn’t only limited to the military even within NATO,
but was also decisive in the areas of the economy, politics and psychology?
I shouldn’t have been surprised by this situation that I came across while
reading about the speeches given at the seminar, which I was invited to but
didn’t attend. Actually, we hear similar sentiments from Brussels and EU
political circles. However, this time an admiral, albeit a retired one,
showed the same stance during an EU meeting focusing on security. An
experienced expert who attended the seminar said, ‘We tried to tell the
French admiral that Turkey’s strategic contribution in the socio-cultural,
political, economic and psychological areas would be even more than the
advantages it would gain thanks to the EU membership.’ However, it’s also
accepted that foreigners misunderstanding our country isn’t unilateral. Do
experts, academics and members of the media fulfill their duties concerning
the issue? A retired commander made the same self-critique as follows: ‘I
hope that soon we’ll start to look for the answer to the question of where
we’ve gone wrong.’
Retired Gen. Edip Baser spoke about Turkey’s contribution to EU activities
during the meeting, saying that Turkey’s priorities firstly consists of
consistency, coordination, cooperation, dialogue and openness with its
neighbors, and NATO and EU countries. Aydan Karamanoglu, first secretary
from the Foreign Ministry, gave another answer to the French admiral. He
brought up Turkey’s contribution to the European Security and Defense
Policy (ESDP) in detail and quoted EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana’s
speech speaking of Turkey’s importance. Turkey should promote itself to the
EU nations. At this point, it would be better to approach the French
admiral from different angles, instead of seeing him as ignorant. However,
we also shouldn’t forget that emphasizing important possibilities which
could be provided by our large, well-trained army for the EU shouldn’t
cause us to take offense.”
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