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Turkish Press Review, 98-07-07Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>07.07.98Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] PRIME MINISTER YILMAZ IN MACEDONIAPrime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, the first Turkish Prime Minister to visit Macedonia, was welcomed yesterday by his Macedonian counterpart Branko Crvenkovski in Skopje. After meetings between Turkish and Macedonian delegations, the two prime ministers signed a joint declaration for liberalization in trading between the two countries. Meanwhile the Social Security and labour Ministers of both countries signed an agreement on ensuring social security between their two countries.After the meeting Yilmaz said that they aimed to increase trade between Turkey and Macedonia, adding that they had exchanged views on the Kosovo issue. Yilmaz noted that Turkish Airlines (THY) Istanbul-Skopje flights had already started and that a Turkish Honorary Consulate in Manastir, where Ataturk graduated from military high school, would be opened soon. A Turkish Culture Center would also be activated in Skopje, added Yilmaz. Yilmaz invited his Macedonian counterpart to Turkey. Mesut Yilmaz was later received by Macedonian President, Kiro Gligorou and also met with Parliament Speaker, Tito Petkovski. /Hurriyet/ [02] FIRE IN AEGEAN FORESTSSeveral forests in the south Aegean regions of Anatolia have been severely damaged by fires. After fires in Datca, Yatagan and Gocek, a 90 kilometres square forest fire was burning in the Mugla region yesterday. Fire brigades failed to put out a fire which broke out the previous night in Fethiye. Another 15 kilometres square green area has been destroyed by fire in Fethiye while a 60 kilometres square wooded area has been destroyed in a fire in Bodrum, after a short circuit in energy lines. /Milliyet/[03] CEM CONTINUES CONTACTS IN ISRAELForeign Minister Ismail Cem and an accompanying delegation will start their contacts in Israel today. It is expected that at the meetings Israel will ask Turkey to be more active in the Middle Esat Peace process. Cem will also meet with Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After completing his contacts in Israel, Cem will proceed on to the Gazza Strip to meet with Palastinian leader Yaser Arafat. /Hurriyet/[04] RO-RO TEKIRDAG-TRIESTE CONNECTIONA Ro-Ro ferry connection between Tekirdag and Trieste, Italy, has been opened. The Ersen, Gur and Esin transportation firms have joined to establish EGE RO-RO, which will also transport long-vehicles. Officials announced that there will be three connections a week, and the daily loading capacity of Tekirdag harbour has been increased to 2,500 tons. With the Ro-Ro connection between Tekirdag and Trieste, high-way transportation through Greece will be cut out. /Hurriyet/[05] INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION UP 8.4 %Production in industry has increased 8.4 percent in the first five months of the year. According to the State Statistics Institution, there has been a 16.4 percent increase in mining, 8.1 percent in production, and a 7.7 percent in the electricity, gas and water industries. /Hurriyet/[06] TURKISH JEWELERY IN ITALIATurkish jewellers are exhibiting at the Gold Jewelery Fair in Vicenzaoro in Italy. The fair, which is one of the most important jewelery fairs in the world, is visited by over 40,000 visitors from 90 countries every year. The Turkish participants have asked the fair administration to continue to exhibit their goods after the fair closes. /Hurriyet/[07] WORLD BANK SUPPORTS TURKEY AGAINST THREAT OF EROSIONThe World bank will extend credits of $ 100 million to Turkey, which will be used to struggle against erosion in the southern and southeastern provinces of Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. A Turkish delegation, which is currently in the US to benefit from US experience in the struggle against erosion, has already visited Colorado and Wyoming. Nevzat Uslucan, the chairman of the Turkish delegation, composed of 15 experts from the Ministry of Forestry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said: "The US has solved the problem of erosion and Turkey will use the newest methods and techniques to overcome this problem. New projects will aim to prevent erosion and to develop forest in Turkey."[08] TURKISH-GREEK BALANCE IN NATOIn the process of expansion NATO is preparing to change its military structure. Within the framework of a new military structure to be completed in December, Turkey and Greece will be turned into "Joint Sub Region Command Centres". Equal numbers of personnel will be employed at the Command Centres in both Izmir and Larissa and a balance between the two nations will be ensured. At the Centres where multinational NATO command principles will be implemented, Turkish officers will serve in Larissa, and Greek officers will serve in Izmir. Command Centres will be responsible for the Aegean during a war./Sabah/[09] SIX VILLAGE GUARDS KILLED BY PKK MINESVillage guardsmen guarding the road near Semdinli, Hakkari, were killed by mines laid by PKK terrorists as they were to defuse the mines. After the incident a large-scale search operation was started in the region./Sabah/[10] SECOND ROUND OF BANK INTEREST RATE REDUCTIONFollowing a recent reduction in bank interest rates, a second reduction has been made in interest rates by some banks. The Stock Exchange market, which reached a record high last week, also closed with a a small record yesterday. The Central Bank has intervened by holding down the US dollar rate. Deputy General Director of Garanti Bank, Ergun Özen, said yesterday that as opposed to recent years devaluation was occuring below the level of inflation, but during the last period it was going at the same pace. He believed this was done to contribute to the current balance./Sabah/[11] TURKEY REQUESTS FOR THREE BILLION DOLLARS LOANDuring a telephone briefing about his contacts in the US, State Minister Gunes Taner,responsible for the economy, told Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, who is in Macedonia for an official visit, that Turkey's request for a three billion dollars loan had been receieved positively by officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. /Milliyet/[12] 'S-300 MISSILES CAN BE DESTROYED IN SEVEN MINUTES'In the event that the Greek Cypriot National Army deploys Russian-made S-300 missiles in southern Cyprus and the Turkish General Staff puts an 'attack' plan into implementation, Turkish jets could destroy all the missile silos between seven and nine minutes. According to Fileleftheros newspaper published in the Greek Cypriot Administration, the Turkish General Staff has been in a dilemma over the issue of how to retaliate to if S-300 missiles are deployed on the island. /Cumhuriyet/[13] NEW ISRAELI AMBASSADOR IN TURKEYIsrael's new ambassador to Ankara Uri Bar-Ner said in a statement to Cumhuriyet daily newspaper yesterday that military cooperation between Turkey and Israel had positively affected Turkey's relations with the Arab world. Ambassador Bar-Ner noted that the Middle East should decide whether the Turkish democrat or the Iranian Islamic Republic model would be chosen. He stated that Egypt was afraid that Turkey would win advantages in the region. /Cumhuriyet/[14] DM 250 MILLION FOR SOUTHEASTThe European Union (EU) countries have launched initiatives to extend aid to villages in the Southeast Anatolian region evacuated because of security reasons. Representatives of international aid organizations have made observations for a "Return to the Villages Project" being implemented in the Southeast Anatolian region. The German government will extend DM 250 million to the project. /Cumhuriyet/[15] TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS: 45 DEADIn various traffic accidents throughout Turkey yesterday, 45 people lost their lives while 78 people were injured. Those injured in the accidents were taken to nearby hospitals. /Cumhuriyet/[16] FIRE IN TRNC BROUGHT UNDER CONTROLA fire that broke out on Saturday in the Greek part of the island of Cyprus and, which due to strong winds, passed the demarcation zone and reached the towns of Yesilirmak and Bademlikoy in the Turkish part of the island, has been brought under control. Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Dervis Eroglu noted that the fire destroyed 2,700 hectares of forest and 1,000 hectares of agricultural land. /Cumhuriyet/[17] ZIRAAT BANK IN BULGARIAThe state-run Ziraat Bank will open a new branch in Bulgaria, which has been passing through a transition process to democracy and a liberal economy. The new Ziraat Bank branch in the capital of Sofia will be opened with a ceremony attended by Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz on Saturday. Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov is also expected to participate in the ceremony. /Cumhuriyet/[18] CATCHING UP WITH THE EDUCATION AGEA seminar entitled 'Catching up with the Education Age 2000 Project' organized by the Education Ministry and financed by the World Bank to present the advancements made under the newly implemented eight-year compulsory education system in Turkey was held in Kizilcahamam, Ankara yesterday. Speaking at the seminar's opening on Monday, Education Minister Hikmet Ulugbay said that at the time when the law establishing an eight-year compulsory education system was enacted, preparations were also made for its successful implementation.Ulugbay cited the 20 percent increase over last year in the number of students registered in the sixth grade as proof that the system was working. The minister praised the administration in its ability to successfully meet the demands of the public. Further, World Bank Team Leader Michael Mertaugh said that the World Bank recognized the importance of the 'Catching up with the Education Age 2000 Project' and was allocating resources for its support. [19] ECEVIT PROMISES HOMES FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMSThe state will assist Adana residents whose houses were seriously damaged by the recent earthquake by paying rents for one year, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said. In addition to financial assistance on housing rentals, Ecevit also announced that the state will construct new houses in the region that will be offered to earthquake victims with interest-free loans.Speaking to the press at the Prime Ministry yesterday, Ecevit said that rescue work in Adana and Ceyhan has been completed, but that investigations are continuning to determine the full extent of the damages. Financial aid to the region has so far reached TL 1 trillion, he added. /All papers/ [20] TURKISH-JAPANESE VACCINES COOPERATIONA joint Japanese-Turkish project begun three and a half years ago aimed at improving vaccine quality has been completed. The Japanese International Cooperation Agency's (JICA) representative in Turkey, Tatsuo Yonebayasi, said that the project on the "Development and Evaluation of Biological Products' Quality Control" had been successful. According to the Anatolia news agency, Japan donated apparatus and equipment worth 303 million Japanese Yen and arranged for 16 Turkish experts to be trained in Japan.Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |