 |
Compact version |
|
 |
        |
|
 |
||
|
Sunday, 22 December 2024
|
||
 |
 |
|
|
|
Turkish Press Review, 97-12-15Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWDIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION,OFFICE OF PRIME MINISTER15.12.97Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. [01] STRONG REACTION TO EU DECISIONReaction in Ankara and throughout Turkey to the Luxemburg European Union (EU) summit decision to preclude Turkey in connection with current growth processes, grows stronger by the hour.Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has made it clear that although Turkey will continue to move towards full membership in the EU, it will not be according to present conditions as specified by the EU especially in connection with Turkey. Yilmaz said over the weekend that Turkey will not attend a March EU conference because anyway Turkey rejected the conditions imposed against Turkey by the EU. Further, applications for membership in the EU will no longer top the agenda and will revert to the status of the 1963 Ankara Agreement. Thus the later application put forward by Turgut Ozal in 1987 will no longer be considered as effective. Political dialogue will be vastly reduced. Turkey will not discuss matters like human rights, Cyprus and relations with Greece with the EU as a whole, but only on a one-to-one basis with other EU member countries should the situation arise. In line with this decision, the Customs Agreement to boost bilateral trade between Turkey and the EU will not be developed to previously planned potential levels. As proposed by Turkey, integration with northern Cyprus will now be speeded up and a common defence policy will be developed. Although there will be sweeping changes in connection with NATO relations and in other areas, Ankara has not shut the door entirely. There will be a six-month cooling down period, during which Ankara will wait to see if the EU makes a new approach. The EU anyway has not shut out Turkey. EU leaders have again declared that Turkey's membership is only a matter of time. But quite how the two sides will now reconcile differences is a matter of intense debate in the capital and will continue to be so for weeks to come. /All papers/ [02] RUSSIAN PM CHERNOMYRDIN IN ANKARARussian Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin arrives today in Ankara for an official visit. Chernomyrdin is expected to sign seven agreements with his Turkish counterpart Yilmaz, including an agreement for the construction of a natural gas pipeline under the Black Sea. Attention is drawn to the fact that the visit of the Russian Prime Minister came just as Ankara was considering distancing itself from the European Union. /Hurriyet/[03] CEM TO BRUSSELSForeign Minister Ismail Cem will go to Brussels today to attend a two-day NATO Council Autumn Term meeting. At the meeting foreign ministers of the NATO member countries will discuss the expansion process of the organization. /Sabah/[04] TERRORISTS ATTACK FACTORYLast night eight terrorists attacked a factory in Niksar, Tokat, setting on fire three lorries and smashing computers. Security sources later reported that wide-scope operations had been started to capture the terrorists. /Milliyet/Sabah_[05] TURCO-FRENCH JOINT INVESTMENT IN DIYARBAKIRTurkish Dogu Holding Corp. and the French Pieri Sa company will make a joint investment in Diyarbakir. Mehmet Yildirim, chairman of the Dogu Holding Corp., said that a news factory will produce chemicals used in prefabricated concretes. He added that they had already started feasibility studies and that total capital investment was TL 11.5 billion /Hurriyet/[06] TURCO-IMF MEETING IN WASHINGTONThe most critical negotiations between Turkey and the IMF will start today in Washington. A Turkish delegation, led by Yener Dicmen, Undersecretary of the Treasury; Cuneyet Sel, Deputy of the Treasury Undersecretary; Sukru Binay, Vice-President of the Central Bank went yesterday to Washington. Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, State Minister Gunes Taner and Central Bank President Gazi Ercel will attend the meetings on Thursday. /Sabah/[07] PM YILMAZ: GAP PLAYS HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE FOR TURKEYIn a statement to the GAP magazine published by the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) administration, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz points out that the Southeastern Anatolia Project is playing an important role in the development of Turkey. He stressed that thanks to the project, socio-economic indicators for Southeastern Anatolia were speedily improving and catching up with national standards. /Cumhuriyet/[08] POPULATION CENSUS RESULTSThe temporary results of the recent population census are contradictory to previous estimates.The first important conclusion is that Turkey`s population increase is much lower than predicted.The increase in population between 1990-1997 is 14.73 per thousand and this is less than the State Statistics Institute(DIE)`s forecast of 18.04 per thousand.Therefore Turkey`s population is being calculated as 62,606,000 as opposed to the DIE`s inference suggesting 64,606,000./Cumhuriyet/END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
All Rights Reserved.