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Turkish Press Review, 98-04-27
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
27.04.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] FIFTH BIGGEST CONCRETE DAM IN THE WORLD
[02] JOINT DECLARATION FROM TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA
[03] LABOUR MINISTER RETURNS HOME
[04] KINKEL TO VISIT TURKEY
[05] WHERE DOES TURKEY STAND IN THE WORLD?
[06] INFORMATION NETWORK PROJECT FOR KOBIs
[07] AGREEMENT WITH TURKCELL AND TELSIM
[08] FRENCH DIRECTOR OF ISTANBUL SUBWAY TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
[09] TURKISH FIRMS TO PARTICIPATE IN 72 INTERNATIONAL FAIRS
[10] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT MARKS 36 YEARS
[11] 35 TERRORISTS KILLED IN THE SOUTHEAST
[12] CEM AND CELEBI TO ATTEND OECD MEETING
[13] NEXT EU PRESIDENT SEEKS STRATEGY FOR TURKISH ACCESSION
[14] TCDD SPEEDS UP
[15] HAMZI YERLIKAYA, EUROPEAN WRESTLING CHAMPION
[16] ADDITIONAL US EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES
[17] TEKEL PRODUCTS IN RUSSIA
[01] FIFTH BIGGEST CONCRETE DAM IN THE WORLD
President Suleyman Demirel laid the foundation of the Deriner Dam
near the Black Sea town of Artvin yesterday which will annually produce
2.1 billion kw_h of energy. Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev and
Georgian Head of State Eduard Shevardnadze, Turkish Prime Minister Mesut
Yilmaz, ministers and officials also attended the ceremony. It was
reported that the Deriner Dam project will be the second largest project
after the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline project. The construction of the dam
will be realised by a joint consortium including the Turkish Erg
Construction Company, the Russian Technostroyexport group, and
Switzerland's ABB, Sulzer Hydro, Hydro Vevey and Stucky companies. It
is estimated that the construction of the dam will cost $ 711 billion
and be completed in seven years.
After the ceremony, Presidents Suleyman Demirel, Eduard
Shevardnadze and Haydar Aliyev went on to Trabzon to discuss the
Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Turkmen natural gas and peace in the Caucasian
region. After the meeting Demirel said that Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia aimed to establish peace in the region and also in in the world.
/Hurriyet/Sabah_
[02] JOINT DECLARATION FROM TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA
The presidents of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan have demonstrated
their determination about implementing the projected Baku-Ceyhan
pipeline. In a joint declaration yesterday after a summit held in
Artvin where they came together for a dam foundation laying ceremony,
the three leaders once again confirmed that petrol and natural gas from
Caspian Sea reserves would be transported to the world market by the
projected Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. A joint working group, which will
evaluate feasibility reports, will convene on May 5-6 in Istanbul,
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Cumhur Ersumer said yesterday.
/Cumhuriyet/
[03] LABOUR MINISTER RETURNS HOME
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Nami Cagan, arrived
yesterday evening in Ankara after participating in a labour conference
organized in Italy by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD). In a statement after his arrival, Cagan said that
the importance that should be given to local and domestic authorities
was the main issue at the conference. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] KINKEL TO VISIT TURKEY
German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel sent a message to Ankara over
the weekend via Turkish Ambassador in Germany, Volkan Vural, saying:
"Let's revive our relations and if you want I will come to Turkey".
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem gave a positive answer to this
message and invited Kinkel to Turkey. Kinkel will visit Ankara in May.
Meanwhile, German Speaker of the Federal Assembly, Rita Sissmuth, will
also pay an official visit to Turkey in June. /Milliyet/
[05] WHERE DOES TURKEY STAND IN THE WORLD?
With privatization worth $3.135 billion in six years, Turkey ranked
third following Hungary and Poland among countries which realized the
highest privatization in the world. A "World Competition Yearbook"
published by the International Institute for Administrative Development
based in Switzerland, notes that Turkey has further improved in the
areas of globalization, finance and management. /Milliyet-Hurriyet/
[06] INFORMATION NETWORK PROJECT FOR KOBIs
A project called KOBI-NET (Small amd Medium-Scale Enterprises
Information Network), which constitutes one of the most important stages
in Turkey's move into the information age, will soon be put into
operation. With this project, it is expected that Turkey's integration
with the world from the commercial standpoint will be consolidated and
companies will be able to receive all information regarding their fields
instantly. Meanwhile, seminars on "Electronic Trade" will continue
today and tomorrow in Istanbul. Foreign Trade Undersecretary Yavuz Ege
and Peter Froehler from the UN will deliver speeches during the
seminars. /Milliyet/
[07] AGREEMENT WITH TURKCELL AND TELSIM
A licence transfer agreement worth $500 million with Turkcell and
Telsim, two mobile telephone firms, will be signed today in Ankara.
Minister of Communications Necdet Menzir and State Minister Gunes Taner
will participate in the signing ceremony when Turkcell and Telsim will
deposit licence transfer cheques worth $500 million each. With this
agreement, the state will earn a total revenue of $1 billion and
privatization aims for 1998 will be achieved. /Milliyet/
[08] FRENCH DIRECTOR OF ISTANBUL SUBWAY TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
Istanbul Director of the French firm (Cegelec), which is carrying
out the electro-mechanical work for the Istanbul subway construction
project, Edmond Minosyan, was taken into custody at Istanbul's Ataturk
Airport yesterday evening following claims that he was a militant member
of the ASALA Armenian terrorist organization. However when it was
discovered during questioning that the claims were unfounded, it was
later reported that Minosyan would be released. /Milliyet/
[09] TURKISH FIRMS TO PARTICIPATE IN 72 INTERNATIONAL FAIRS
Turkish firms will participate in 72 international fairs, scheduled
to be held in various cities around the world including Moscow, Paris,
Tokyo and Baghdad. The fairs will be held for various industries, from
textiles to automotives, foods to marble. Meanwhile, it was reported
that 283 fairs will be held by 54 firms in Turkey this year. /All
papers/
[10] CONSTITUTIONAL COURT MARKS 36 YEARS
The Constitutional Court, established under the 1961 Constitution,
is marking its 36th year. The Constitutional Court is the only court
which can open cases against Turkish officials. /All papers/
[11] 35 TERRORISTS KILLED IN THE SOUTHEAST
In armed clashes that began during security forces operations in
the southeastern Anatolia region, 35 members of the PKK terrorist
organization have been killed and seven others captured. Three security
officials lost their lives during the operations. In searches carried
out in the area, weapons and equipment belonging to the terrorists have
been seized. In Siirt, a terrorist escaping from the PKK surrendered to
security forces. Operations are reportedly continuing in the region.
/Milliyet/
[12] CEM AND CELEBI TO ATTEND OECD MEETING
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is
to meet at ministerial level on April 27-28 in Paris. State Minister
Isin Celebi and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will attend the meeting, the
Anatolia news agency reported. Cem is expected to make a speech on
Tuesday while Celebi will address the OECD ministers' meeting on Monday.
The meeting will focus on the economic crisis in Asia and its effects on
OECD countries.
[13] NEXT EU PRESIDENT SEEKS STRATEGY FOR TURKISH ACCESSION
Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel said he would seek
agreement from his EU counterparts for a strategy to include Turkey in
negotiations for membership in the bloc. Austria will use its
presidency of the EU starting on July 1 to find ways to rebuild trust
and confidence with Turkey, both shattered by Turkey's exclusion from
the current round of expansion talks. "Turkey is an integral part of
Europe and must be treated like the other candidate states and judged on
the same objective conditions" Schuessel said on Saturday after meeting
Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz at a gathering of European
conservative leaders. "We will discuss our strategy at a meeting of EU
foreign ministers on Monday" Schuessel said. /All papers/
[14] TCDD SPEEDS UP
The Turkish State Railway Company (TCDD) is going to modernize the
present rail transport system in Turkey, including improvement of the
Ankara-Istanbul line. The modernization of the railroads will lower the
transport time between Ankara and Istanbul, currently 7.5 hours, to 4.5
hours, not by shorthening the line but by improving the condition of the
railway lines. Officials stated that the project will be financed by
foreign credits. /All papers/
[15] HAMZI YERLIKAYA, EUROPEAN WRESTLING CHAMPION
Hamza Yerlikaya became the European wrestling champion in the 85
kg. weight class for the third time in the European Greco-Roman
Wrestling Championship held in Minsk, the capital of Belarussia. In his
final match Yerlikaya beat his Russian rival four to zero. /All papers/
[16] ADDITIONAL US EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES
The amount of Turkey's textile exports to the US has been increased
in line with the agreement signed on 24 April in Washington between
Turkey and the US. With the agreement, an 18 % additional export
opportunity has been extended to the US. According to the written
statement of the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat, "Turkey's textile and
ready-to-wear exports to the US have been increased and forced up quota
limits in recent years. Within this framework with the initiatives of
Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, Don Johnson, the US textile negotiator and
Yavuz Ege, the Foreign Trade Undersecretary signed an agreement to lift
textile quotas, and ensure less red tape in the export of some other
goods." /Hurriyet/
[17] TEKEL PRODUCTS IN RUSSIA
State Minister, Eyup Asik, still continuing his contacts in Russia,
has reached an agreement with Prime Minister Sergey Ling to update
technologies in cigarette, tea and sugar factories in Akbay, Minsk and
Grodna. Asik noted that the agreement would be officially signed in
June. He added that TEKEL 2000 cigarettes would be produced in Russia
and Turkey would invest $ 80 million in Russia. Eyup Asik also said
that 15 million kg of Turkish tobacco would be marketed in Russia.
/Hurriyet/
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