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Turkish Press Review, 06-04-13
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
13.04.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
CONTENTS
[01] SEZER, ERDOGAN, ARINC ADDRESS OIC MEETING IN ISTANBUL
[02] SEZER: “THE ARMY HAS BECOME TREATED UNFAIRLY DUE TO SEMDINLI CONTROVERSY”
[03] ISTANBUL NAMED CAPITAL OF CULTURE OF EUROPE FOR 2010
[04] TURKEY ANNOUNCES NINTH EU REFORM PACKAGE
[05] IN SOUTHEAST, ERDOGAN TO SPEAK WITH THE PEOPLE
[06] TURKEY’S FIRST NUCLEAR PLANT TO BE BUILT IN SINOP
[07] TUZMEN: “TURKEY HAS BEGUN TO ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL”
[08] SCHROEDER TO ADDRESS CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL NEXT MONTH
[09] BANGLADESHI PM TO HAVE TALKS IN ANKARA
[10] GERMAN GREENS PARTY LEADER ROTH TO VISIT TURKEY
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[12] BEING THE RULING PARTY BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)
[01] SEZER, ERDOGAN, ARINC ADDRESS OIC MEETING IN ISTANBUL
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc yesterday attended a meeting of the
Organization for the Islamic Conference Parliamentarians Union in Istanbul.
Addressing the gathering, Sezer said that in some countries there are
people trying to equate Islam and its values with violence, intolerance,
and intemperance. “The Islamic world should renounce all forms of violence,
” added Sezer. Also addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that rising
conflicts, hunger, and terrorist attacks in the region were a source of
concern. Erdogan further sought the support of the participants for
Turkey’s stance on the Cyprus issue. For his part, Arinc called the current
state of the Islamic world “disappointing.” Saying that the Islamic world
had shortcomings, Arinc added, however, that this wasn’t its fate.
“Accepting this would be betraying our past,” he said. “The Islamic world
has to make a decision to be strong.” UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent
a message to the meeting, saying that lack of tolerance in the world had
created serious problems. “I understand the reaction in the Islamic world
to the [Prophet] cartoon crisis, and believe that you have reason,” he
said. /Sabah/
[02] SEZER: “THE ARMY HAS BECOME TREATED UNFAIRLY DUE TO SEMDINLI
CONTROVERSY”
Speaking at a conference at the Turkish Military Academy, President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer said yesterday, “Attempts to defame our glorious army are
irreconcilable with rationality and patriotism. Protection of the army’s
prestige is one of the major duties of the government.” Sezer sharply
criticized the handling of the Semdinli case, which he said the judicial
system had wrecked through reckless statements, and further stressed that
the army has become subject to an unfair controversy. Sezer also implicitly
criticized Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, saying that “certain people who
came to power through democratic means” had adopted wording dangerously
close to the rhetoric of the terrorist group PKK. “This stands in direct
conflict with the position they hold and the essence of the system that
bought them there,” he added. Sezer also said that he plays a role on the
secularism issue due to his oath of office. /Star/
[03] ISTANBUL NAMED CAPITAL OF CULTURE OF EUROPE FOR 2010
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by Istanbul Governor
Muammer Guler and Greater City Mayor Kadir Topbas, yesterday held a press
conference in Istanbul to celebrate the city being named European Capital
of Culture for 2010. An international committee earlier this week declared
Istanbul a Capital of Culture of Europe for 2010, said Erdogan. Stressing
that the process has not been completed, the premier said the final
decision would be made in November by European Union’s bodies. He stated
that the city connected two continents and had served as home to numerous
peoples from various nations and religions during its history, adding that
the good news would help promote both Istanbul and Turkey. Furthermore, he
announced the government’s determination to eliminate eyesores in Turkey’s
largest cities, including shantytowns, in line with building projects by
the Turkish Housing Development Administration (TOKI), which plans to build
up to 50,000 low-income housing units per year. /Turkiye/
[04] TURKEY ANNOUNCES NINTH EU REFORM PACKAGE
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday announced the ninth EU reform
package, amid criticisms that the government has lost its enthusiasm for
European Union membership. Gul said that Turkey is dedicated to pursuing
reforms that are critical to its goal of becoming a member of the EU. He
rejected allegations that the pace of reforms had slowed, and said,
“There’s no end to the improvements that will be made... Turkey’s direction
is greater democratization.” Guls remarks, which included assurances that
the government will soon speed up the approval process of several necessary
measures, appeared to be an attempt to counter EU criticism that the pace
of reform in Turkey has slowed since the 25-member bloc opened membership
talks with Ankara last October. Gul said that the new reform package
foresees no further amendments to Article 301 of the revised Turkish Penal
Code (TCK). /Star/
[05] IN SOUTHEAST, ERDOGAN TO SPEAK WITH THE PEOPLE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is getting prepared to visit
southeastern Turkey to ease tension and give direct messages to citizens
after the recent terrorist incidents. Erdogan will go to Tunceli and
Erzincan to attend his ruling Justice and Development Party’s congresses.
He will also attend the Diyarbakir, Siirt, Sirnak and Mardin congresses of
the AKP in June, barring any last-minute change. Erdogan, who this week had
a meeting with his party’s deputies from southeastern provinces to gauge
people’s views on the government’s performance, recent terror incidents and
their expectations, is planning to directly communicate with citizens and
give messages. /Sabah/
[06] TURKEY’S FIRST NUCLEAR PLANT TO BE BUILT IN SINOP
Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) head Okay Cakiroglu said yesterday that
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has chosen a Black Sea port city for
the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant. He stated that
among the eight regions recommended by the agency, Erdogan decided on Sinop
for the construction of the plant. He added that the agency had carried out
technical inspections, judging some 40 criteria, throughout Turkey to find
the most appropriate place. In related news, Energy and Natural Resources
Minister Hilmi Guler is planning to meet with representatives from Turkey’s
10 largest firms in the coming days to discuss investment possibilities for
the power plant. /Turkiye/
[07] TUZMEN: “TURKEY HAS BEGUN TO ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL”
State Minister Kursat Tuzmen yesterday received Sohud Baalawl, head of the
Dubai Investment Group’s Executive Board. During their meeting, Tuzmen
briefed Baalawl on investment opportunities in Turkey. Saying that the
group was interested in the real estate and finance sectors, Tuzmen added
that recently Turkey has begun to attract international capital. “Interest
in our banks, industry, commercial companies, and real estate is rising
rapidly,” he said. Speaking afterwards, Tuzmen commented on the current
accounts deficit, saying that it should be followed carefully. “The deficit
isn’t a cause for concern since it can be financed easily,” added Tuzmen.
/Aksam/
[08] SCHROEDER TO ADDRESS CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL NEXT MONTH
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is due to speak at a conference
in Istanbul next month at the invitation of Akbank. Akbank said Schroeder
would address a conference on May 11 at the Sabanci Center. The meeting
will focus on globalization, the future of the European Union, and global
inequality. /Hurriyet/
[09] BANGLADESHI PM TO HAVE TALKS IN ANKARA
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia is set to arrive in Ankara
today to pay an official visit. He is expected to have talks with his
Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as with President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to exchange views on
bilateral relations and regional and international issues. /Turkish Daily
News/
[10] GERMAN GREENS PARTY LEADER ROTH TO VISIT TURKEY
German Greens Party leader Claudia Roth will visit Ankara today due to the
recent incidents in the southeast. Roth will meet with Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and is also planning to go to Diyarbakir. As part of her
visit, Roth will meet with Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir and
representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). /Sabah/
[11] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[12] BEING THE RULING PARTY BY ISMAIL KUCUKKAYA (AKSAM)
Columnist Ismail Kucukkaya comments on the Justice and Development Party
(AKP). A summary of his column is as follows:
“We can break down the basic parameters determining the performance and
life of political power in our country under four main headings. Important
developments occur in all these parameters, scenarios are written about
them, and speculation is rampant. We need a sound analysis, because
presidential and general elections will be held soon (scheduled for next
year). Everybody in Ankara is busy gauging the life of the Justice and
Development Party’s (AKP) political power. Failure to fight terrorism is
the most potent poison for political powers. Now the AKP faces this
dilemma. When the political power changed hands in November 2002, terrorism
had all but stopped in Turkey. Terrorism started to rise last summer. If
the nation thinks that when the AKP came, terrorism restarted, this will be
a serious problem for the ruling party. However, developments of the last
two weeks show that the government is taking this issue seriously. I met
twice with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. ‘Our number one issue is fighting
terrorism,’ he said. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks have a
tone which gives hope to the public. The Anti-Terror Law will be changed as
well. As part of this, relations between the military and government are
gaining importance. There have been no accidents during this critical
period. A balance protecting the sensitivities of both sides is being
reached. We can consider the surprise meeting between Erdogan and Land
Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit as the beginning of a new era.
Turkish governments’ relations with the White House are one of the most
important parameters of political powers. Either surrendering to the US or
being seen to irritate it can shake the Turkish nation’s confidence in the
government. The nation would prefer a balanced policy. Erdogan’s advisor
Cuneyd Zapsu’s recent visit to Washington aimed at this. Some people
criticize this and Zapsu, and the AKP calls this a translation error. I
believe Zapsu had important criticisms and warnings for the American
people. There’s no problem between Erdogan and Zapsu. In addition, though
Zapsu appeared in a den of neocons, not a single negative news story was
published in the US press for two days. The most important thing was
Zapsu’s remarks about the PKK. I think when he said, ‘We know that you meet
with PKK,’ he was very right. As for the economy, settling the
macroeconomic balances and stability ensures that the business world
supports the ruling party. Even those who don’t like it don’t talk or act
against the AKP. The public is tired of crises and afraid of losing
stability. There won’t be a problem if there’s no economic crisis. The
risky area for the AKP is the judiciary. It’s vital for the party to stay
in the social center. This is the basic condition of relations with
military, the US, the business world and the judiciary.”
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