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Turkish Press Review, 02-03-15Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr><LINK href="http://www.byegm.gov.tr_yayinlarimiz_chr_pics_css/tpr.css" rel=STYLESHEET type=text/css> <map name="FPMap1"> <_map> Press & Information Turkish Press Turkish Press Review >> Foreign Press Guide Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning15.03.2002CONTENTS
[01] ECEVIT IN BARCELONA FOR EU SUMMITPrime Minister Bulent Ecevit travelled to Spain yesterday to attend the EU summit on employment and social policy in Barcelona. Both EU members and candidate countries such as Turkey are taking part in the summit. Ecevit was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and Finance Minister Sumer Oral. /All Papers/[02] TURKEY’S ISAF COMMAND DISCUSSEDMeetings among Turkish, US and British officials regarding Turkey’s possible command of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan are continuing today in Ankara. Following a five-hour meeting at the Foreign Ministry yesterday, US Special Coordinator for Afghanistan James Dobbins and David Reddaway, the British special representative for Afghanistan, said that the three countries had consulted on the ISAF command for some time and that they all supported the ISAF and its mission. Stressing that the meeting was fruitful, Dobbins said that Turkey had certain questions and conditions for assuming the ISAF command. “We tried to address their questions and to make the situation clearer,” he stated. Dobbins added that military officials would discuss certain technical matters at a series of meetings, and that then results would be presented to the Turkish government so that it can decide on the matter. /All Papers/[03] CEM: “COMMON VISION NEEDED FOR CYPRUS”Speaking to daily the International Herald Tribune yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said that Turkey and Greece should forge a common vision on the Cyprus issue during current negotiations over the island. If we fail to do so, he added, the talks process will fail, but we still have time, it is not too late. /Cumhuriyet/[04] CILLER: “THE EU MUST DESIGNATE THE PKK A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION”True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller said yesterday that EU could not ask Turkey to abolish the death penalty without itself first designating the PKK a terrorist organization. Ciller made the remarks at a luncheon hosted by Manuel de la Camara, ambassador to Turkey from EU Term President Spain, with the attendance of other EU ambassadors and diplomats. Giving her views on capital punishment and Kurdish-language education, Ciller said, “Before dealing with these matters, the EU must first of all designate the PKK a terrorist organization.” Stressing that no country in Europe had suffered as much from terrorism as Turkey, Ciller asked the ambassadors, “Let’s say Turkey abolished the death penalty and allowed education in Kurdish, would the EU then accept Turkey?” The EU ambassadors present told her that when those issues were solved, Turkey would be in line with the other EU candidates and ready to implement the Copenhagen criteria. /Turkiye/[05] BAHCELI TO VISIT KAZAKHSTANDeputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli is scheduled to pay an official visit to Kazakhstan, on March 18- 22. As part of his contacts, Bahceli is scheduled to meet with the Kazakh president, prime minister, Parliament speaker and members of the Kazakh Parliament’s Turkish Friendship Group. /Turkiye/[06] KIVRIKOGLU SIGNS MILITARY AGREEMENT WITH KAZAKHSTANAs part of his current Central Asian tour, Chief of General Staff Gen. Huseyin yesterday met with the defense minister of Kazakhstan, Lt. Gen. Muhtar Altinbayev. During their meeting, the leaders discussed military cooperation between their countries and modernization of military bases in Kazakhstan, and they also signed an agreement on military aid to Kazakhstan. Gen. Kivrikoglu is expected to be received by Kazakh head of state Nursultan Nazarbayev today. /Turkiye/[07] DERVIS VISITS SWITZERLAND EN ROUTE TO THE US, MEXICOTurkish State Minister for the Economy Kemal Dervis flew to Switzerland yesterday. Dervis will proceed from there to the United States and Mexico this weekend, where he is scheduled to attend a number of economic meetings over March 17-24. /Star/[08] ISO: “TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP IS A NATIONAL POLICY”A delegation from the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ISO) headed by ISO Chairman Tanil Kucuk yesterday visited True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller, Felicity Party (SP) Leader Recai Kutan, Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Treasury Undersecretary Faik Oztrak, Central Bank President Sureyya Serdengecti and Foreign Trade Undersecretary Kursad Tuzmen in Ankara. In a report presented by the ISO to the political and government leaders, it was stated that Turkey’s EU membership was a national policy. /Cumhuriyet/[09] TURKISH BUSINESSMEN PRESS SPAIN ON EU MEMBERSHIPTurkish Industrialists’ and Businessman’s Association Chairman Haluk Tukel met yesterday with Jose-Maria Aznar, the prime minister of current EU Term President Spain, in Barcelona. Tukel said that Turkey was diligently implementing the Copenhagen criteria, and asked Aznar to do what he could to ensure that Spain’s mid-year EU presidential successor, Denmark, begins Turkey’s full EU membership negotiations at year’s end. /Hurriyet/[10] DOGAN HOLDING ADVISOR TO ADDRESS UN CONFERENCETevfik Altinok, an advisor to Dogan Holding’s Board of Directors, is scheduled to attend four separate roundtable meetings next week on “Financing Development” as part of an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations in Monterrey, Mexico on March 18-22. Participants on the ministerial level from various countries and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) are also invited to the meetings. The ICC suggested that Altinok attend the meetings on behalf of the private sector and to make a speech to a ministerial roundtable meeting on March 19. /Milliyet/[11] TELECOM ITALIA EXECUTIVE: “WE ARE AIDING IN TURKEY’S RECOVERY”Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) Director General Mauro Sentinelli said yesterday that the economic crisis in Turkey was also affecting Italy and the rest of Europe, but added that TIM was taking a pivotal role in helping Turkey overcome the crisis. Speaking to the Turkish journalists during a visit to promote TIM-Isbank’s joint GSM operation Aria as well as other new services, Sentinelli said, “Turkey overcoming its crisis will benefit us all. We have helped Turkey more than anyone else, even governments. We consider your problems as our problems. We are helping and will continue to help you with our strongest weapon, that is, technology.” Stating that Turkey would be a part of the EU sooner or later, Sentinelli added that its crisis would be solved and that TIM continued to have confidence in Turkey. /Milliyet/[12] YAPI KREDI HOUSING PROJECT SCORES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPA Turkish residential development has taken first prize at a prestigious international real estate fair. Yapi Kredi Koray’s “Istanbul Istanbul House Project,” a residential development in Istanbul’s Kemerburgaz district, came in first yesterday among 100 entries at France’s annual MIPIM Fair. The project received more votes from 150,000 participants at the fair than any other project in the Residential Development category. Yapi Kredi Koray Director General Hakan Kodal said, “As Turkey is working through its economic crisis and EU accession process, we are very proud that a Turkish project scored such a success.” /Aksam/[13] METU HOSTS MODERN DANCE DAYS IN ANKARAMiddle Eastern Technical University’s (METU) “International Dance Days,” an event hosting performances by and discussions among modern dance troupes from Turkey, France and the US, began yesterday in Ankara. The dance days were first held in 1999 and are designed to gather together professional and amateur groups, institutions and people working in the field of modern dance on a common platform. A seminar during the event entitled “Dance Off- Stage: Dance’s Ways of Existence Outside the Stage” sponsored by the METU Modern Dance Group is aimed at promoting modern dance and making it more widespread. /Aksam/[14] FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS…[15] THE GOAL OF THE BARCELONA MEETING: TO MAKE EUROPE A REAL ECONOMIC POWER BY FERAI TINC (HURRIYET)Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on the European Council meeting on employment and social policy taking place in Barcelona on March 15-16. A summary of her column is as follows:“Leaving aside the recent wrangling by Turkish politicians as to whether or not European Union membership would be in our nation’s best interests, this weekend will see Turkey take to the dance floor yet again for another try at a graceful waltz with the EU. The European Council meeting on employment and social policy, which takes places in Barcelona today and tomorrow, will focus on a number of specific issues with an eye towards making Europe a real economic power. Social and economic reforms as well as environmental issues will be discussed. Recent developments in the Middle East have also claimed a spot on the top of the meeting’s agenda. Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and Foreign Minister Ismail Cem will call on European countries to take urgent measures to help end ongoing violence in the region. The main goal of the Barcelona meeting is to revisit and revive the decisions taken at the Lisbon summit two years ago. Under these decisions, the EU countries are expected to take steps in order to make the Union one of the world’s great economic powers. This goal was set out during Portugal’s term presidency and has again become a hot issue during Spain’s term presidency. It’s no coincidence that the Mediterranean countries are spearheading this process; this is what they call ‘Mediterranean creativity.’ Furthermore, Spain has recently taken another important step: For the first time, candidate countries will have the chance to participate in the meeting and to voice their views at the same time as member countries. Measures to be taken for the harmonization of the candidate countries with the Lisbon decisions will also be discussed. In fact, the candidate countries currently have the opportunity to make structural reforms by using the funds which the EU’s offering them. However there are still unjust policies concerning disbursement of these funds. Turkey is not yet able to benefit from all of the money available. Ecevit and Cem will convey Turkey’s dissatisfaction on this issue at the Barcelona meeting. Today and tomorrow; two busy days are waiting for us.” [16] EUROPEAN DYNAMISM AND TURKEY BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI (STAR)Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on European Union countries’ recent efforts to increase their economic dynamism on the world market and what Turkey’s possible role might be in these efforts. A summary of her column is as follows:“Two days ago, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit commented on Turkish-EU relations by declaring, ‘Europe will never give up on Turkey. Just Turkey needs the EU, the EU also needs Turkey.’ We can understand how correct Ecevit’s statement is when we compare it to another recent statement by the National Security Council (MGK) Secretary- General Gen. Tuncer Kilinc arguing that Turkey should improve its relations with Russia and Iran instead of trying to establish close contacts with the EU. Let’s consider the general’s remark: The first alternative for Turkey is Iran, a country under a conservative Islamic regime which has long been unable to surmount its domestic instability for. The second alternative is Russia, a country which does not shrink from pursuing undemocratic, aggressive policies in order to retake power on the world stage, and a country which is itself also suffering from an economic crisis. For all these reasons, it is undeniable that Turkey has no alternative to the EU since it needs the Union to protect its own domestic stability as well as help it develop sound foreign relations. What about the EU? Does it really need Turkey? The EU is busy now trying to develop its economy to be able to compete with the US on the world market. That’s what the current Barcelona meeting is all about. The meeting will focus precisely on developing a more flexible labor market capable of creating more jobs, improving the education and training of Europe’s students and workers and increasing their room for mobility and liberalization, interconnection of the electricity and gas markets, and integrating Europe’s financial markets. In brief, Europe is trying to increase its economic dynamism. Turkey was invited to the Barcelona meeting as a candidate country. Going back to our crucial question as to whether or not the EU needs Turkey, we can say that our trump card is our strategic position. That’s why the most important message Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit will convey to Europe in Barcelona will again stress the fact that Europe cannot achieve its above- stated goals without Turkey.” ARCHIVE Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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