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Turkish Press Review, 97-05-28Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>CONTENTS
TURKISH PRESS REVIEWWEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 1997Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. [01] DEMIREL SAYS TURKEY WELCOMES NATO ENLARGEMENTAt a ceremony held to mark the signing of a new NATO-Russia agreement in Paris, President Demirel expressed Turkey's support for the enlargement of NATO, and stressed that NATO-Russia relations were essential to security and stability in Europe. Demirel identified the agreement as "a new milestone that will set out the principles to create a community of democracies". The Turkish president pointed out that the expansion of the alliance should be taken as a part of the ongoing European integration process. /Milliyet/[02] TURKISH ATTEMPT TO SWEEP OUT THE PKK FROM NORTHERN IRAQ CONTINUESTurkey is determined to continue the incursion into northern Iraq to sweep out the outlawed PKK organization. Military officials say that the operation will continue until the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) cooperating with Turkey attains complete authority in Northern Iraq. Turkish planes rained down bombs yesterday on terrorists trying to escape from Northern Iraq into neighbouring countries. According to the Anatolia news agency, Turkish troops have destroyed eight PKK camps as well as other shelters and stores used by separatists in the mountains of Northern Iraq.Late on Monday, PKK terrorists killed five villagers and injured one in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir. Operations to capture the terrorists involved in the attack are underway. Turkish military officials brushed off opposition from Iran, Syria and Iraq to the incursion, saying these countries supported the PKK. According to Turkish sources, Iran, Syria and Iraq were building up military forces on the borders of the Iraqi Kurdish region to help rebels escape. /All papers/ [03] GREEK PRESS REACTS TO OYMEN'S REMARKSRemarks by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Onur Oymen in Athens on Monday outlining Turkey's traditional policy related to the the Aegean have caused an uproar in the Greek capital, the Anatolia news agency said on Tuesday. Oymen's indications that there were islets with unclear status in the Aegean was said to be the main reason for the Greek outcry. Oymen was speaking at a seminar on Turkish-Greek relations in Athens on Monday, organized by the Political Research Center. Oymen said at the seminar that problems between the two countries concerning the Aegean could be more easily resolved if the status quo regarding the region as established by the Lausanne Treaty was respected. /Milliyet/[04] TURCO-GREEK BUSINESS MEETING AN OPTIMISTIC STARTThe Third Turco-Greek business forum ended yesterday. At a press conference following the discussions, Greek Entrepreneurs Association Chairman Athanasse Lavidas and Turco-Greek Business Council Vice Chairman Sarik Tara said that the meeting had passed in a very positive atmosphere and that the three days of discussions had been very fruitful. Lavidas stresses that if the businessmen could show the politicians that it was possible to cooperate and trust each other, then politicians could also do the same. /Hurriyet/[05] TURKEY AND ARMENIA SIGN JOINT PROTOCOLIn the middle of June the heads of the Turkish and Armenian Atomic Energy Institutions will sign a joint security protocol on the Medsamor nuclear power plant in Armenia. The signing ceremony will be held in the aftermath of bilateral meetings in Vienna on June 11-12. The protocol will entail joint responsibilities in education, seismic research and emergency plans. The cooperation between the two countries in ensuring the nuclear plant's security is designed to define Turkey's role in the event of a possible nuclear accident in Medsamor which lies only 14 km away from the Turkish-Armenian border. /All papers/[06] EFES-97 MILITARY EXERCISES IN THE AEGEANThe Turkish Armed Forces started yesterday military maneuvres in the Aegean The exercises that will continue until June 13 will be held in Aegean international waters and the international airspace with the participation of land forces, warships and fighter jets. 11,000 troops will participate in the maneuvres. The goal is to improve coordination between the forces. /All papers/[07] TURKS RELEASED FROM AFGHANISTANWhen the Talaban administration took control of the whole of Afghanistan, 25 out of 35 Turks living in the northern towns of Mezar Sherif and Shibrgan ruled by General Rashid Dostum who has since sought refuge in Turkey, were released in Tashkent and came to Istanbul. Eight of the Turkish teachers who worked in three Turkish schools are still in Afghanistan however and it is reported that two are still in Tashkent. /Hurriyet/[08] PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ELECTIONCommenting on the internal political situation, President Suleyman Demirel said that the real solution lay in new elections, and not resorting to more drastic action.The noted Financial Times of London quoted President Demirel as saying that the conditions prevailing in Turkey did not merit fears that there would be some kind of coup. Demirel said that the right and proper solution was "early elections". /All papers/ [09] GIANT HELICOPTER PRODUCTION PROJECTThe Defence Ministry is working on a big new defence sector project for the domestic production of military helicopters primarily for use by the Turkish Armed Forces. During the next six months, foreign producers will be asked to put forward their options for a joint production deal.The initial plan is for a first batch of 150 helicopters and the outlay will be three billion dollars. Because conventional weapons agreements limit Turkey to 103 military helicopters, the remaining 47 will have to be deployed in areas not included in the agreements. /Hurriyet/ [10] GERMAN PLANE PRODUCTION PROPOSALThe German DASA plane production group has proposed to the Turkish government that Turkey could share in a training plane production deal that also includes the US Rockwell company.If the deal goes through, the DASA training planes will be produced at military facilities near Ankara. Yet another deal being considered involves cooperation with Israel for the production of computerized research aircraft. /Hurriyet/ [11] TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE NEW HONG KONG PASSPORTTurkey has agreed to recognize the new Hong Kong passport that will be issued after China takes over the territory on July 1. A Turkish government spokesman said that the agreement "was a vote of confidence" in the new Hong Kong administration, that could expect full support from Turkey and many other countries that have also recognized the new travel documents.END Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |