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Turkish Press Review, 07-05-15
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
15.05.2007
CONTENTS
[01] SENER: “THE GOVT WON’T MAKE CONCESSIONS ON THE ECONOMY”
[02] BAYKAL: “THE AKP IS A THREAT TO THE REGIME”
[03] NEW DEMOCRAT PARTY EMERGES FROM DYP, ANAVATAN
[04] TOP RUSSIAN COMMANDER TO VISIT TURKEY
[05] US AMBASSADOR WILSON BACKS TURKEY’S MILITARY OPS AGAINST PKK
[06] ISTANBUL HOSTS IPI CONGRESS
[07] PAMUK AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE BY BOGAZICI
[01] SENER: “THE GOVT WON’T MAKE CONCESSIONS ON THE ECONOMY”
The Cabinet ministers chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
convened yesterday. Following their nearly three-hour meeting, State
Minister Abdullatif Sener told reporters that the government would pursue
its economic program without making any concessions, notwithstanding
general elections just two months away. Sener said that State Minister for
the Economy Ali Babacan had briefed them on recent developments in
Turkey’s European Union accession process, and that four more chapters
were ready to be opened for negotiations. Asked about the massive rally in
Izmir and a government ceremony in Erzurum, both last weekend, Sener said
that all sectors of society share the same values, including love of the
flag and motherland and loyalty to the principles of the republic.
/Turkiye/
[02] BAYKAL: “THE AKP IS A THREAT TO THE REGIME”
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal
yesterday accused the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of failing
to treat a proposed constitutional amendment package with due seriousness,
adding that such things can’t be imposed. Baykal said that once the AKP
was seen as a force assuring stability in the country, but that the
atmosphere of recent days had shown the bitter truth. “The AKP no longer
ensures the regime, but has become a threat to it,” he added. Speaking to
news channel NTV, Baykal said that the CHP was ready to forge an election
alliance with the Democratic Left Party (DSP). In related news, speaking at
a meeting in Istanbul, DSP leader Zeki Sezer said that they were seeking
equity to join forces with the CHP. Stating that the two parties were
trying to reach common ground, Sezer said, “I believe we can do it.”
/Cumhuriyet/
[03] NEW DEMOCRAT PARTY EMERGES FROM DYP, ANAVATAN
Facing a prior claim to their intended “Democrat Party” name, the
leaders of the True Path Party (DYP) and Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) had to
tweak the moniker for the party resulting from their merger. This week they
submitted a petition with the signature of 30 founding members to the
Interior Ministry to found the New Democrat Party, thus establishing
Turkey’s 56th political party. ANAVATAN leader Erkan Mumcu and DYP leader
Mehmet Agar attended a ceremony in Ankara yesterday to mark the anniversary
of the old Democrat Party’s ascent to power in 1950, using the occasion
to stress that they would work to embrace all of Turkey. /Aksam-Today’s
Zaman/
[04] TOP RUSSIAN COMMANDER TO VISIT TURKEY
Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Yuri Baluevsky is set to visit Turkey
next month. Baluevsky’s talks with his Turkish counterpart Gen. Yasar
Buyukanit are expected to focus on the status of the Black Sea, US plans
for a ballistic missile shield, and Moscow’s suspension of the European
Conventional Forces Treaty. In addition, the two countries’ joint
military and defense industry projects will also be taken up. /Turkiye/
[05] US AMBASSADOR WILSON BACKS TURKEY’S MILITARY OPS AGAINST PKK
US Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson said yesterday that his country
supported recent operations carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)
against the terrorist PKK. Speaking at a conference on terrorism in Ankara,
Wilson said that Turkey was one of the countries which has suffered the
most from terrorism. Stressing that terrorist groups such as ASALA, the
DHKP-C and the PKK have cost Turkey some 40,000 lives, Wilson said that he
was proud of his country’s support for Turkey, although it was not
enough. Other participants at the conference from various countries also
emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the fight against
terrorism. /Hurriyet/
[06] ISTANBUL HOSTS IPI CONGRESS
The International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress began on Sunday in
Istanbul. Yesterday, on day two of the gathering, last year’s crisis over
cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, which triggered Muslim protests around
the world, was discussed. At the meeting, reporters said the incident had
shown that religion is a sensitive topic which needs to be treated with
respect. /Milliyet/
[07] PAMUK AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE BY BOGAZICI
Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk yesterday received an honorary
doctorate from Istanbul’s Bogazici University. “The reason my books are
read and loved this much is my amateur childish attachment to being a
writer; the desk, the writing and the books,” Pamuk said at a ceremony in
his honor. The university organized a two-day symposium on the writer which
began yesterday as well. Last week, Kadir Has University also held a
symposium on Pamuk’s works. /Milliyet/
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