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Turkish Press Review, 97-02-03Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWFEBRUARY 3, 1997Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning[01] MASHADOV INVITES ERBAKANAslan Mashadov, who won the recent elections in Chechnya, has invited Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan to his oath-taking ceremony on 10 February. Mashadov said in Pervomaisk, Grozni, that he had invited many state leaders to the ceremony adding: "During our struggle for independence, Turkey shared our problems and Erbakan supported us." /Cumhuriyet/[02] TURKEY WARNS GREECE AGAINST CLAIMING DISPUTED ISLANDSThe Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday warned Greece about activities on disputed islets in the Aegean and arming some of its islands in contravention of international agreements. Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel said the problem concerning the disputed islands, islets or rocks in the Aegean remained unsolved a year after the Kardak crisis -which brought the two NATO allies close to war in January last year.Making clear Turkey's stance once more "so that the international public is correctly informed" Akbel said Turkey had no objection about the ownership of the Greek islands as named in international treaties or when there was no doubt that they had been turned over to Greece as part and parcel of the said agreements. But the ownership of the "geographic formations" falling out of this category could only be established in accord with the provisions of valid international treaties, Akbel argued. Proposing cooperation for a lasting solution, Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller, has sent a message to a meeting held on the Greek island of Sakiz and attended by Turkish and Greek deputies for the development of friendship between the two countries. Ending yesterday, the two-day meeting, which brought together over 100 Turkish and Greek politicians, journalists and representatives from non-governmental organizations, was held on the first anniversary of the Kardak crisis. Ciller pointed out in her message that the Turkish government aimed to solve the problems between the two countries. Noting that Turkey had issued many calls to Greece within the framework of improving goodwill to discuss the issues and solve bilateral problems, Ciller said: "I would like to call on our Greek friends to reach a lasting and just solution in our region and develop cooperation for the next generation of our societies". /Hurriyet/ [03] TURKEY, RUSSIA LORRY CRISISTurkish officials have been exerting efforts to solve the crisis stemming from insufficient transit licences for lorries transporting goods between from Trabzon and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).Deputy General Director of the Land Transportation Department of the Transportation Ministry, Nusret Pasoflu, went to Trabzon to meet with the chairman of the International Transportation Association (UND), Saffet Ulusoy. After the meeting Pasoflu stated that the problem had developed because Russian authorities issued insufficient transit passed. He added that Russia had issued Turkey with 10,000 licences whereas Turkey required over 30,000. /Milliyet/ [04] TURKEY REPRESENTED AT 1997 DAVOS SUMMITOfficial sessions of the Davos Summit hosted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) started on Friday in the Swiss town of Davos. Covering a broad spectrum of subjects including economics, sociology, politics, philosophy and astrology, the summit has become a center of attention for numerous participants and members of the media from all over the world. Although many sessions are closed to the press, the nearly 400-strong media contingent is kept informed through numerous press conferences. Turkey is this year represented by only seven participants, including a Central Bank official and six delegates from the private sector. /All papers/[05] GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR TO ANKARA PASSES AWAYGeorgian Ambassador to Turkey, Nodar Komakhidze, died in Ankara on Thursday. Komakhidze was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and diabetes. He had been undergoing treatment at the Gazi University hospital in Ankara for some time. Komakhidze was a close friend of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and was the first Georgian Ambassador to Turkey. He was an expert on the Turkish language and culture and was a good friend of Turkey.The Georgian diplomat was greatly admired by his colleagues. He was very successful in improving relations between Ankara and Tbilisi. The Turkish Foreign Ministry sent its condolences to his family and the Georgian President. /All papers/ [06] FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE-TURKISH RELATIONSFriday marked the fifth anniversary of Turkey's official recognition of Ukraine. Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey, Igor Turyansky, on the occasion of the anniversary, said Turkey was the Ukraine's number one priority in foreign affairs. Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Turyansky said that because of Turkey recognized Ukraine many top-level politicians from Ukraine had visited Turkey and vice-versa. He also noted that trade between the two countries had risen to over $1 billion and over 30 trade deals had been closed.Touching also on the NATO expansion issue, Turyansky said Ukraine was not against expansion but they were against nuclear arms being deployed in the region. He also said that although Ukraine itself did not want to become a NATO member for the moment, he did not rule out the possibility in the future. /All papers/ [07] US WARNS ATHENSIt is reported that high-level officials from the US State Department have sent two letters to Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos expressing anxiety over the attitude of Athens regarding Turco-Greek relations.According to the To Vima newspaper published in Athens, the two letters said that the US was concerned about the statements made by Greek government oficials which created tension between Ankara and Athens. The letters noted that if Athens took a positive step for the solution of problems between the two countries as soon as possible, the US administration would launch more concrete initiatives regarding the issue. They added that if Russian S-300 missiles were deployed in Greek Cyprus, Washington would not be able to control the reaction of Ankara including the posibility of some military measures being taken. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/ [08] TURKS INFLUENTIAL IN BULGARIATurkish entrepreneurs investing in Bulgaria are gradually getting more influential in Bulgaria. Their concerns are meeting some of the important consumer needs of Bulgaria. Mustafa Ertanin, Chairman of the Turco-Bulgarian Businessmen's Association, based in Sofia, said that most of the Turkish investors in Bulgaria were involved in trade or small-scale production. According to Ertanin, the success of the Turkish businessmen was bound to the fact that they were used to operating in an inflationary business environment. /Hurriyet/[09] EURO-BLACK SEA FREE TRADE ZONETurkey, holding the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) term chairmanship, is planning to suggest to other organization members that a free trade zone should be established with Europe. Turkey is planning to submit this proposal at a meeting of BSEC foreign and economy ministers scheduled for 7 February in Istanbul. /Sabah/[10] THE FIT OPENS A SHOP IN URFAThe Fit, a famous ready wear company based in Germany, has opened its seventh shop in Turkey in Sanliurfa. The Fit is a representative of the Bay Group, one of the leading exporters of Turkish textiles. /Sabah/[11] CAR PARTS DEAL WITH INDONESIATurkey and Indonesia are moving towards making an agreement for more cooperation in the car industry. In Turkey on an official visit, Indonesian Minister for Technology and Deputy Prime Minister B.J. Habibie said on Friday that Turkey could easily share in new projects by making parts for cars made in Indonesia. /Milliyet/[12] GERMAN CLAIMS AGAINST CILLER GROUNDLESSAccording to a report in the weekly German magazine Der Spiegel, recent claims by a German judge against Foreign Minister Ciller have been shown to be without foundation.The magazine reported over the weekend that the German Foreign Ministry could find no connection between Foreign Minister Ciller, Turkey, and the huge traffick in drugs that pervades every corner of Europe. /Sabah/ [13] VATICAN EXTENDS GOOD WISHES FOR RAMADAN HOLIDAYCardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, said that it may be necessary for Muslims and Christians to meet more often in order to find solutions to the questions and challenges of the coming millennium, such as transmitting religious values to the next generation and educating them to respect the faith of others.In a message issued on the occasion of the end-of-Ramadan holiday, Cardinal Arinze, noted that the end-of-Ramadan holiday offered an opportunity for Christians to visit their Muslim friends, which would help to strengthen existing bonds of friendship and create new ones. /All papers/ END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |