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Turkish Press Review, 00-05-25Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>25.05.00Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morningCONTENTS
[01] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[02] PUTIN'S MESSAGE TO SEZERThe Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Ilya Klebanov, will arrive in Turkey today to convey a message from Russian Head of State Vladimir Putin to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The message is supposed to include some views on the Caucasian Stability Pact. Klebanov will be received by Sezer on May 26. He will also meet Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli, State Minister Husamettin Ozkan and National Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu and discuss issues such as military and technical cooperation between the two countries. /Turkiye/[03] ECEVIT: "TURKEY EMERGES FROM SHADOWS OF UNSOLVED MURDERS"Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Chairman of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) said that Turkey was beginning to emerge from the shadows of unsolved murders. Speaking at his party's parliamentary group meeting, Ecevit made a general evaluation about the unsolved murders, while avoiding giving a detailed account of the operations launched to solve them. According to Ecevit, seeing organizations formed to commit murders captured and subversive or fundamentalist organizations weakened was a sources of satisfaction. The Prime Minister also said that all these achievements were the result of an effort made as part of the rule of law. /All papers/[04] HIZBULLAH INDICTMENT COMPLETEDiyarbakir State Security Court (DGM) prosecutors Yilmaz Aktas and Omer Tuncay Ipek have completed their indictment against the Hizbullah terrorist organization. In addition to detailing 156 separate murders, the indictment calls for the death penalty for 13 of the suspects on trial and for 15-year prison sentences for the remaining two suspects in accordance with Article 146 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).The indictment also details the history of the Iranian Islamic revolution and said how the regime had publicly announced its intention to export its revolution. Iran's state policy, the indictment says, as defined by Article 154 of its Constitution calls for this. Iran has set up liaison and logistic support centres to aid Hizbullah-style groups in Turkey and the Middle East, the indictment says, and adds that Iran's revolutionary messages had served to encourage Hizbullah and other subversive/reactionary groups in Turkey. /All papers/ [05] TEHRAN IS WAITING FOR SEZERWhile the worries as to whether or not President Sezer will attend the Economic Cooperation Summit (ECO) Summit in Iran are continuing, Tehran finally participated in these discussions. Iran's Ambassador, Lavasani, who came to the Foreign Ministry yesterday, replied to the question, "Do you think Sezer should attend the ECO summit," with the response, "Turkey is one of the founding members of this institution. I think the answer is very clear." Lavasani added that they had delivered their worries to the Foreign Ministry concerning the arrest of Iraninan citizens some time ago. Lavasani said, "The Turkish officials told us that these people had been arrested not because of the reasons claimed by the media, but because of illegal passage from the border." /Hurriyet/[06] ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN IRAN AND TURKEYIt was decided that the Turkish businessmen's visit to Tehran, which was postponed due to the tension between Turkey and Iran and which was expected to be paid on 27 May within the framework of the new strategy of the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat in regards with increasing the economic relations between the neighbouring countries, will go ahead. /Milliyet/[07] NATO GIVES GUARANTEE TO THE USThe meeting of the Council of Ministers of NATO, which will last for two days, started in the city of Florence in Italy yesterday. During the Summit, the European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI) and the latest situation in Russia and the Balkans are being discussed. NATO Secretary-General, George Robertson, stated that the European Union's (EU) efforts to speed up the formation of the ESDI should not worry the US. Meanwhile, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Cem, also talked about the ESDI, stating that the draft article that will be presented by the EU on 13 June will not satisfy Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/[08] HAMANOV: "TURMENISTAN'S GAS WILL BE BROUGHT TO TURKEY"Turkmenistan's Ambassador to Ankara, Nurmuhabbet Hamanov, issued a statment concerning Turkmenistan's natural gas, which caused worries in Ankara after the Russian Head of State, Vladimir Putin's visit to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Hamanov said, "It is out of the question that Turkmenistan will give up this project. According to the protocol that was signed, the agreements between the countries will be completed in the year 2000. Then the consortium's problem of finance will be solved. Nobody is thinking of canceling the protocol. Turkmenistan's gas will be brought to the Turkish border in the year 2002." /Cumhuriyet/[09] CUBAN AGRICULTURE MINISTER TO VISIT TURKEYCuban Agriculture Minister Alfredo Jordan Morales will arrive in Turkey on Friday upon an official invitation from Turkish Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Husnu Yusuf Gokalp. A statement from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ministry said that during the visit, a cooperation protocol will be signed between the two countries' respective agricultural research institutes. Morales is also expected to meet Turkey-Cuba Joint Economic Commission (JEC) Co-Chairman Rustu Kazim Yucelen. Morales will return to Cuba on May 27. /All papers/[10] TSK HOLDS YILDIRIM 2000 MANOEUVREThe first part of the Yildirim 2000 manoeuvre of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will be carried out between May 26 and June 13. A statement from the Office of the Chief of General Staff said that the manoeuvres were aimed at improvement of mobilization techniques, backup staff training and coordination methods between the TSK and public institutions in the event of war. /All papers/[11] PRIMARY BUDGET SURPLUSThe government budget showed a primary surplus of TL 3.10 quadrillion in the first four months of the year, against a deficit of TL 195.7 trillion in the same period of last year, Finance Minister Sumer Oral announced yesterday. The consolidated budget deficit was seen at TL 6.4 quadrillion in the first four months. In a written statement, Oral indicated that the primary fiscal surplus had overshot earlier projections by 76 %. Following a meeting with IMF Turkey-Desk Chief, Carlo Cottarelli yesterday, Oral said tax revenues had overperformed in the first four months. "Event excluding supplementary taxes, tax revenues have increased by 110 %", he said. /All papers/[12] TURKISH E-COMMERCE MAY REACH $15-20 MILLION THIS YEARTurkey's e-commerce volume may rise to $15-20 million this year from $1 million last year, researcher and consultant IBS Executive Director David Tonge was quoted by the Anatolia News Agency as saying. The Economist Turkey analyst Merli Baroudi said Turkey ranked 39th among 60 countries in e-commerce. Internet users increased by 60 % in the first five months of this year to 75,000, Tonge said at an Istanbul conference sponsored by The Economist Magazine and IBM Turk.[13] MANUFACTURING CAPACITY UPThe Turkish manufacturing industry's utilization of its current available capacity was at 72.8 % in the first quarter of the year, up 2.5 % from 70.3 % during the same period last year, the State Institute of Statistics (DIE) revealed yesterday. /All papers/[14] THAMES WATER BRINGS BOTH WATER AND CULTUREThe British Thames Water firm, which has undertaken the first build-operate-transfer water project of Turkey in Izmit, also has supported the performance of a play 'The Taming of the Shrew' by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Istanbul as part of the 'Britain-Turkey 2000' celebrations. The 'Izmit Urban and Industrial Water Assurance Project' implemented by the Thames Water firm was completed in 1998 and became functional in January 1999. /Turkiye/[15] STFA'S INITIATIVESTFA Construction Company has ranked first among five firms in the Turkmenbasi Port Bidding. Five international firms have participated in the bidding put out for the Turkmenbasi Port Project by the Turkmen Maritime Lines in Turkmenistan. /Turkiye/[16] AZERBAIJANI NATIONAL DAY RECEPTIONA reception was held by the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ankara, Mehmet Nevrezoglu, on the occasion of the Azerbaijani National Day yesterday. Many high-level officials including Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Cumhur Ersumer attended the reception. /Turkiye/[17] HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER GIVES AN AWARD TO ERENHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has arrived in Turkey as the official guest of his Turkish counterpart Bulent Ecevit has given a 'state medal' to Prof.Hasan Eren for his initiatives on Turcology and his loyalty to Hungarian culture. Prof.Eren has graduated from a university in Budapest and then made a series of studies on Turcology. /Turkiye/[18] FEIN CRITICIZES ACTIVITIES AGAINST TURKEYA leading jurist and a columnist in the US, Bruce Fein, has sent a letter to the 'Plain Dealer' newspaper published in Cleveland and said that the Armenian lobby assumed a stance supporting terrorism and encouraging acts of violence against Turkey. Fein has criticized the activities of the Armenian lobby in his letter. The Armenian lobby in the US is still continuing with its efforts for the recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide. /Turkiye/[19] EURASIAN KOBIs IN KAYSERIForty representatives of the Small- and Medium-Scale Enterprises (KOBIs) from 29 countries in Europe and Asia arrived in Kayseri to make a series of observations. The representatives visited the Kayseri Organized Industrial Region and received information concerning production from the officials. The representatives said that Turkey was a great market and Kayseri was a convenient city to make investments. /Sabah/[20] IMKB BECOMES A PARTNER WITH KYRGYZ STOCK EXCHANGEThe Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) has become a partner in the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange with a share of 27.4 %. The Head of the IMKB, Osman Birsen, said that they wanted to be the leading stock exchange in this region and added that they could also be partners with the Azerbaijani and Kazakh stock exchanges. /Sabah/[21] COOPERATION IN THE STOCK EXCHANGE WITH EUROPEThe Capital Market Council (SPK) signed accords with the German Federal Stock Exchanges Observation Council (BAWE) and the French Stock Exchanges Transactions Commission (COB) concerning the share of information during the meeting that was held by the Organization of International Stock Exchanges Commission in Sydney. /Cumhuriyet/[22] ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGES TO ESTABLISH KOBIThe regional market in the stock exchanges will turn out to be the Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (KOBI) market. Concerning this issue, it was planned that the work will come to an end by September and the meetings with the European Investment Bank (EIB) will be started. According to the regulations, even the one-year-old companies will be able to apply for the KOBI market. /Milliyet/[23] TURKEY SIGNS BIO-SECURITY PROTOCOLThe Minister of the Environment, Feyzi Aytekin, signed the 'Cartegna Bio-Security Protocol' on behalf of Turkey yesterday. The document was drawn up to help countries guard against adverse effects that genetically altered organisms may have on human life. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Aytekin called for the protocol to be implemented at once. /Turkish Daily News/[24] FAIR TO BE HELD AT ATATURK AIRPORT IN ISTANBULThe military apron of Ataturk Airport in Istanbul will host one of the biggest military fairs in the world starting today and lasting three days. 'Airex 2000 International Civilian Aviation and Airport Equipment Fair,' which will be held by the Mint Fair Company for the third time, will gather the producers and buyers in the Middle East and the Balkans from the Turkish-Speaking Republics together. /Hurriyet/[25] TURKEY TO ENTER EUREXIt was reported that Turkey is likely to be included in EUREX, which is expected to be one of the biggest stock exchanges in the world in terms of terminal market. The Capital Market Council (SPK) made an explanation concerning the issue, stating, "The intermediary institutions, which ensure the conditions that are demanded by EUREX, will be able to make transaction in this platform. The agreement that was made with the German capital markets' arranging authority are of the utmost importance for our markets. The work to sign agreements with the countries that are expected to take part in the EUREX platform is continuing." /Hurriyet/[26] CHHIBBER'S STATEMENT CONCERNING WOLFENSOHNThe World Bank's Director to Turkey, Ajay Chhibber, stated, "James D. Wolfensohn is the first Head of the World Bank who has visited Turkey in the last ten years. This shows the importance given by the international society to Turkey. Turkey is again on the agenda of the World Bank and recently the Bank has decided to give Turkey the biggest economic support since the Presidency of the deceased Turgut Ozal. Turkey is the country that is most discussed by important institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), because Turkey is carrying out a structural programme that aims at a radical change." /Hurriyet/[27] CHILDREN QUARTER'S FOUNDATION LAID IN GOLCUKThe foundation of the Turco-German Foundation's 7-18 age children quarter, which will be built by the Prime Ministry, Social Services and the Society for the Protection of Children, Turco-German Foundation and the Channel D, was laid in Kocaeli's district of Golcuk with a ceremony. During the ceremony, the State Minister Hasan Gemici said, "There are 2,400 orphaned children in this region. Now they are under the protection of their relatives. We will also work for these children." Gemici also thanked the administrators of the Turco-German Foundation and Channel D for their contribution. The children's quarter's construction will be completed in eight months and shelter 100 children. /Hurriyet/[28] 800 MILITANTS ESCAPED FROM THE PKK IN ONE YEARIt was revealed that Yusuf Turhalli, Ayhan Ciftci and Yildirim Kaya, who are the members of the so-called Central Committee of the PKK terrorist organization, and nearly 130 terrorists accompanying them escaped from the PKK on 19 May 2000. It was stated that these terrorists have opposed the strategy of the PKK for some time now. The security forces stated that other members of the Central Committee of the PKK had escaped as well from this organization. They added that however, the names of these terrorists have not yet been determined, but this number reached 800 during the last year. /Hurriyet/[29] CITY THEATRES IN PARISThe players of the City Theatres went on a tour to France. The players, who arrived in Paris, will stage the play 'Bati Rihtimi' by Bernard-Marie Koltes. This play, which will be performed by Metin Cekmez, Ahmet Ozarslan, Nergis Corakci, Cebile Toyon, Nur Sacbuker, Zeki Yildirim, Altay Ozbek and Eftal Gurbulak, will be staged on 26 and 27 May at La Ferme Du Buisson in the city of Marne La Vallee in France. /Hurriyet/[30] BAYKAL IN GERMANYThe former leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal, visited the Turkish Research Centre, which is based in the city of Essen in Germany, and issued a speech concerning the relations between Turkey and the European Union, stating that Turkey's candidacy to the European Union (EU) had brought a new enthusiasm to Turkey. Baykal added, "The positive results of the candidacy can be seen quite clearly throughout Turkish society. In addition, a Turkey that is a member of the EU will have a much more positive stance towad Greece." Baykal also talked about the relations between Turkey and Germany, saying that now not only Turkish people immigrate to Germany, but also German people immigrate to Turkey. Baykal added, "We want to make it easier for German people to become Turkish citizens. I hope this step will be achieved and we can set an example for Germany concerning this issue." /Cumhuriyet/[31] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS...[32] IRAN AND TURKEY BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on the relations between Turkey and Iran. A summary of his column is as follows:"The Humeini Revolution is one of the most important revolutions in history. Revolutions are followed by years of excitement and enthusiasm and then comes calm and peace. During the years of excitement unthinkable incidents may occur and later, the nation which has carried out the Revolution is surprised at the harshness of these more than anyone else. The first years of 1789 French Revolution and 1917 Russian Revolution attest to that. At the moment Iran is experiencing this period of fever. Second to Turkey, Iran is the most important State in the Islamic world, with its deep-rooted past and settled traditions. Its borders should not be compared to those of other states, the borders of which have been drawn up by colonialist states. Persian is a language most suited to poetry. Today more than one-third of the Iranian population speaks Turkish. Such a bi-national State with an imperial structure has minorities speaking Kurdish, Arabic, Lorestani, Ahghani. Therefore, it has accepted Shiite as the basis of Irani nationalism and the 'sine qua non' condition of its territorial integrity. It is apparent that Iran wishes to export the theocratic state model. It has shown this interest in Turkistan, Caucasia, Bosnia, Chechnya and even in Turkey. It has frightened the world with the violent actions it undertook, and has been placed on the list of terrorist countries. It has created an atmosphere where radical Islamist theory threatens democracy. Turkey has presented another model to the Islamic world. Although it came into being in 1923, it can be said that this model already existed in the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, Iran has to pay attention to Turkey. It is not possible for Iran with intellectuals educated in Western culture and yet who have not lost their Eastern roots, to believe that the theocratic state can exist in the 21st century. Therefore, it is following a strict and nervous policy. In the next meeting of the National Security Council Turkey's relations with Iran will reviewed. More than a hundred Turkish businessmen are going to Iran. Turkey's mistake has been to let everyone in. We have accepted hundreds of thousands of Iranians, Iraqi Kurds, and Turks from Bulgaria. All three groups were allowed in for different reasons but all three were accepted through spontaneous decisions and incorrect decisions. Modern States must act quickly, but they should not act on the spur of the moment without true consideration. [33] STRENGTHENING RUSSIA BY TAHA AKYOL (MILLIYET)Columnist Taha Akyol writes on the reccent developments in Russia. A summary of his column is as follows:"There is an important article on Putin in the first issue of 'Strategic Analysis' published by the Eurasia Foundation in Ankara. In the article it is stated that Putin who has worked in the KGB is an honest, silent, calm, decisive and a harsh person. In the person of Putin, Russian ideology has found a new source of inspiration. This ideology aims to restructure Russia on the bases of market economy, private ownership and democracy. It also covers factors such as patriotism in addition to a belief in Russia's greatness, and its being a centre of development. In the article it is also stated that Putin has increased the budget for armament by 50%, to return Russia to its past military might and win the support of the military. Certainly this decision was not welcomed by the foreign investors in the country and Russia's neighbours. It is also mentioned that, Putin has accepted a new military doctrine which allows the use of nuclear weapons if it is necessary for the security of the country. That may be why the West has not shown the necessary attention to dangerous human rights violations in Chechnya. Why is Georgia sending signals that Azeri oil should be carried through Russia rather than Baku-Ceyhan? Yeltsin has prepared the person to be his successor well. He was not jealous of Putin's power. This is a positive factor he will be remembered for. In the elections Putin has received 52% of the votes. That is what lies behind stability. Turkey lacks such a support of social stability. The stability seen today is based on the good-will of the leaders of the three parties. Turkey is seeing that Russia's hand is strengthening in Caucasia, and Central Asia. Turkey should begin to consider system reforms which will strengthen itself in a similar manner. Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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