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Turkish Press Review, 05-11-15
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
15.11.2005
FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH BAHRAINI PM, DISCUSSES BILATERAL RELATIONS
[02] ERDOGAN, PUTIN AND BERLUSCONI TO MEET IN SAMSUN FOR OFFICIAL BLUE STREAM OPENING
[03] ISTANBUL HOSTS TURKISH WORLD YOUTH DAYS CONVENTION
[04] CICEK: “THERE WAS NO NEGLIGENCE IN ARPALI’S DEATH”
[05] ARPALI LAID TO REST, RECTOR ASKIN RECEIVING TREATMENT
[06] TRNC CELEBRATES 22ND ANNIVERSARY
[07] STATE MINISTER ATALAY: “AN IMPORTANT POWER LIKE THE PRESS CANNOT BE LEFT WITHOUT RULES AND PRINCIPLES”
[08] AGAR CRITICIZES GOVT ON INCIDENTS IN SEMDINLI, ARPALI SUICIDE AND RISE IN PURSE-SNATCHING
[09] ZEKI SEZER ISSUES MESSAGE MARKING 22TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRNC
[10] EU COMMISSION: “THE PKK IS AN OBSTACLE TO DEVELOPMENT”
[11] OGER TAKES OVER TURK TELEKOM IN LARGEST DEAL
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[13] WHAT WILL CHANGE WITH MERKEL? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH BAHRAINI PM, DISCUSSES BILATERAL RELATIONS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Bahrain for an official visit,
yesterday met with his Bahraini counterpart Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al
Khalifa to discuss a number of issues, including bilateral relations. The
two premiers signed an agreement on preventing double taxation. Later,
Erdogan was received by Bahraini King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa. Later,
Erdogan attended a dinner hosted by the Bahraini premier accompanied by
State Minister Kursat Tuzmen, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and Turkish
Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Rifat
Hisarciklioglu. /Star/
[02] ERDOGAN, PUTIN AND BERLUSCONI TO MEET IN SAMSUN FOR OFFICIAL BLUE
STREAM OPENING
The opening ceremony of the Blue Steam Project, which will bring Russian
natural gas to Turkey under the Black Sea, will be held tomorrow with the
participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. However Turkey
has been getting gas from the Blue Stream Project for three years now, with
7.6 billion cubic meters of gas received as of this September. On the
“hidden agenda” of the trio of leaders meeting at the opening are three
energy projects worth some $10 billion. /Aksam/
[03] ISTANBUL HOSTS TURKISH WORLD YOUTH DAYS CONVENTION
The12th Turkish World Youth Days and Convention began yesterday in
Istanbul. The convention, bringing together some 200 delegates from 36
different countries, will last until Sunday. Addressing the gathering,
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that discussions at the meeting would
help to brighten the future for all Turks. Stressing that the Turkish
government would continue to back such activities to boost cooperation in
the Turkic world, Gul pointed to the importance of improving democracy in
Turkic language-speaking countries. Furthermore, speaking at the meeting,
Great Union Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazicioglu called on all Turks
throughout the world to cooperate to help counter negative international
developments. /Turkiye/
[04] CICEK: “THERE WAS NO NEGLIGENCE IN ARPALI’S DEATH”
Justice Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek yesterday commented
on Sunday’s prison suicide of Van Yuzuncu Yil University Deputy Secretary
General Enver Arpali, saying that there was no negligence involved. “If a
person is determined to commit suicide, then you can’t stop them,” said
Cicek, adding that it had never been indicated to him that Arpali was
depressed or at risk for suicide. /Milliyet/
[05] ARPALI LAID TO REST, RECTOR ASKIN RECEIVING TREATMENT
Van Yuzuncu Yil University (YYU) Deputy Secretary-General Enver Arpali, who
committed suicide on Sunday in jail, was laid to rest yesterday. Hasan
Koprulu, Arpali’s lawyer, told reporters that his client had been depressed
due to the lengthy legal process. Commenting on the death, Board of Higher
Education (YOK) Chairman Erdogan Tezic said yesterday that they wanted
measures to be taken to prevent any further similar tragedies. He also
called on authorities to resolve the case as soon as possible. In related
news, YYU Rector Yucel Askin, who was taken to hospital late on Sunday
after Arpali’s suicide, is still receiving treatment due to chest pains.
Both Arpali and Askin were imprisoned for corruption allegations in an
official tender valued at $25 million. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] TRNC CELEBRATES 22ND ANNIVERSARY
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat said
yesterday that his government was ready to resume talks with Greek Cypriots
under the auspices of the United Nations in order to find a settlement to
the Cyprus issue. Speaking to reporters at a press conference held as part
of the celebrations for the TRNC’s 22nd anniversary, Talat reiterated that
Turkish Cypriots wanted a just and lasting resolution to the longstanding
dispute on the island. Describing the April 2004 referendum as a turning
point, the president said that it had proved to the world that it was not
the Turkish side which is opposed to a settlement. Asked whether Turkey
should open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot ships and planes, Talat
said he had no objection to such a development, but added that the
international isolation of the TRNC should be lifted at the same time.
/Turkiye/
[07] STATE MINISTER ATALAY: “AN IMPORTANT POWER LIKE THE PRESS CANNOT BE
LEFT WITHOUT RULES AND PRINCIPLES”
State Minister Besir Atalay yesterday said that the sphere of activity of
the press had acquired a universal dimension and added, “Today, all the
rules applying to other economic activities also hold for the press. An
important power like this can not be left to an atmosphere bereft of
rules.” Atalay made the opening speech of the “Seminar on Rights and
Responsibilities of Journalists” co-organized by the Turkish Directorate
General of Press and Information and the Council of Europe, and said,
“Today, where global communication has expanded, structuring the rights and
responsibilities of journalists and reaching a balance between these rights
and responsibilities are challenges faced by all democratic countries.”
/Turkiye/
[08] AGAR CRITICIZES GOVT ON INCIDENTS IN SEMDINLI, ARPALI SUICIDE AND RISE
IN PURSE-SNATCHING
Opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar yesterday criticized
the government, saying that poverty had risen during its three years in
power. Touching on last week’s bombing and subsequent incidents in Semdinli,
a town in the southeastern Hakkari province, as well as Van Yuzuncu Yil
University Deputy Secretary General Enver Arpali’s prison suicide and a
recent rise in purse-snatchings, Agar said that government officials had
failed to take satisfactory stances on these issues. “A citizen in Istanbul
was killed over the weekend by purse-snatchers,” he said. “I’m asking the
government how many people will be killed before these criminals are
cleared from our streets.” He added, “There is no political authority in
the country which is engaged with the problems of the nation.” /Star/
[09] ZEKI SEZER ISSUES MESSAGE MARKING 22TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRNC
Democratic Leftist Party (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer yesterday issued a message
marking the 22th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) stating that the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
government should understand that the Turkish nation wouldn’t accept the
abandonment of the national cause of Cyprus. Sezer added that the
Additional Protocol which would enable Greek Cypriots to be the only
representative of the island shouldn’t be passed by Parliament. /Star/
[10] EU COMMISSION: “THE PKK IS AN OBSTACLE TO DEVELOPMENT”
Jean-Christophe Filori, a member of the Cabinet of the Enlargement
Commissioner Olli Rehn, responsible for Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots,
yesterday indicated that the terrorist PKK is an obstacle to Turkey’s
development. Speaking at the conference on “Strategic Factors in Turkey’s
EU Initiative” held by the European Policy Centre (EPC), Filori said, “If
the terrorist PKK’s attacks continue, improvement in the region will remain
out of reach. The progress report released by the EU Commission last week
states that situation in the southeastern region is getting worse, and
Ankara was criticized because cultural rights in the region couldn’t be
guaranteed.” He added, “Also, the terrorist PKK’s attacks are key factors
for the southeast being an underdeveloped region.” /Cumhuriyet/
[11] OGER TAKES OVER TURK TELEKOM IN LARGEST DEAL
The group of companies buying a majority stake in fixed-line telecom
operator Turk Telekom signed a deal yesterday for the transfer of the
shares, finalizing Turkey’s biggest privatization. A group led by Saudi
Oger Telecom and including Telecom Italia won the tender for a 55% stake in
the company in July with a bid of $6.55 billion. Saudi Oger Senior Vice
President Mohammed Hariri, Turkish Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan and Turk
Telekom General Manager Mehmet Ekinalan signed the deal in Ankara. “We
don’t see this success as a mere acquisition but rather a long-term
investment, not only in the future of Turk Telekom but also in Turkey,”
said Hariri. /Milliyet/
[12] FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...
[13] WHAT WILL CHANGE WITH MERKEL? BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the new coalition government in Germany
and Turkey’s relations with the European Union. A summary of his column is
as follows:
“The program of the grand coalition established nearly two months after the
German elections interests us for two reasons: the first concerns the
stance of the new government, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel,
towards Turkey in the future, and the second concerns the way the program’s
economic and social dimensions will influence the lives of 2.7 million
Turks living in Germany. The coalition agreement created certain worries on
both of these issues. It’s not hard to guess that the situation in these
two areas will be different than the situation during Gerhard Schroeder’s
chancellorship, and both Ankara and Turks in Germany will have certain
problems. There’s an ominous expression in part of the coalition protocol
dealing with Turkish-European Union relations, namely the term ‘privileged
relationship.’ The term which had been used insistently by Merkel was
‘privileged partnership.’ At first glance, there seems to be no difference
between relationships and partnership, but there’s still a special status.
However, the part including this term emphasizes that if the EU is unable
to accept new members or Turkey can’t fulfill its responsibilities for EU
membership, then privileged relationship will be considered. If everything
goes well during our membership talks, the membership goal won’t change.
However, if a problem occurs either on the side of Turkey or the EU, a
special status will be proposed.
However, for the first time a government program in Germany says that a
different status could be envisaged for Turkey within the EU. This
contradicts Berlin’s official policy up to now, but then Schroeder was in
power. Actually, the inclusion of the term ‘special relationship’ doesn’t
mean that the Merkel government will create obstacles during our membership
talks. However, we shouldn’t expect the former active support from this
government. As Professor Faruk Sen, director of the Essen-based Turkish
Research Center (TAM), said, ‘Now there is no chancellor to defend Turkey.
Although Berlin’s policy hasn’t changed much fundamentally, Schroeder’s
personal support and closeness won’t be felt.’ Sen is pessimistic on how
the economic and social program of the grand coalition will influence
opinions in Germany. Turks there already have certain serious problems and
there are concerns that measures which the Merkel government envisages will
increase these problems more. Under the new government program, value-added
tax will be raised to 19%, new tax arrangements will be made, pensions will
be frozen and the retirement age will be increased to 67. Certain German
observers predict that this coalition will be neither successful nor
lasting.”
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