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Turkish Press Review, 07-06-11Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning11.06.2007CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “OUR PRINCIPLE IS ONE COUNTRY, ONE FLAG”Speaking at an opening ceremony in the southwestern city of Burdur over the weekend, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned terrorism, saying that no one could ever succeed in dividing Turkey. “Our only principle is to have one country and one flag,” said Erdogan, adding that the government, security forces, and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) were all determined to combat the terrorist PKK. Stressing that the government would take any step which would benefit the nation, Erdogan added that now is the time for the nation to come together. Later, Erdogan visited the family of a soldier killed by a mine in Diyarbakir. /Turkiye/Lt. Col. Melih Gülova, Maj. Cmdr. Ramazan Armutçuoğlu and Pvt. Hasan Guresen were killed on Saturday by a remote-controlled explosive planted by the terrorist PKK on a road in the town of Guclukonak in the southeastern city of Sirnak. In a statement after the attack, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that the Republic of Turkey, with its people, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), and security units, would continue its determined, justified fight against separatist terrorism until this threat is eradicated. “I condemn this heinous attack, its perpetrators and their supporters,” he added. “Without any hesitation, the Republic of Turkey will take the necessary steps in this fight by uniting its nation and give the necessary response to those who dared to commit these heinous acts. No powers will be able to resist the unshakable will of our people and state on this matter.” Sezer also sent a message offering his condolences to Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit. Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc also sent a message of condolences to Buyukanit. /Sabah/ [02] EXPLOSION IN ISTANBUL INJURES 14An explosion rocked the Bakirkoy district of Istanbul yesterday, slightly injuring at least 14 people. The bomb, which appeared to be a type of explosive that usually makes a loud noise but causes limited damage, was placed under a bench on Ebuziya Sokak. The explosive shattered the windows of several nearby businesses. /Turkish Daily News/[03] NATO’S CHEFFER DUE IN ANKARA TODAYNATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is due to arrive in Ankara today for an official visit. Scheffer is expected to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit. Before leaving for Ankara, Scheffer condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Turkey. /Turkiye/[04] IRAQI FM: “WE’RE READY FOR DIALOGUE TOWARDS A SOLUTION”Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said over the weekend that he was ready to speak with Ankara about the terrorist PKK’s activities in northern Iraq and other matters of concern to Turkey. After Iraq sent a note to Ankara calling for cooperation against the terrorists, Zebari told the BBC Arabic service, "We are open to dealing with these (issues) positively, but not via an intensive and large-scale bombardment of border areas." He added, "We are against any military interventions or violations of borders or the regional security, and all issues are negotiable and can be resolved through dialogue.” /Cumhuriyet/[05] HABERTURK FOUNDER GULDEMIR DIESUfuk Guldemir, the founder and chairman of news channel Haberturk, died yesterday of pancreatic cancer. Guldemir, who was 51, had been undergoing treatment for his condition for a year. He is due to be laid to rest tomorrow after a commemorative ceremony organized by the station. /Aksam/[06] CHINESE COMMERCIAL DELEGATION TO VISIT TURKEYBo Xilai, minister of commerce of the People’s Republic of China, is set to arrive in Turkey on Saturday for a three-day official visit as the guest of State Minister Kursat Tuzmen. He will be accompanied by a 70-member delegation, and a meeting of the Turkey-PRC Joint Economic Commission (KEK) will be held during the visit. Tuzmen said their meetings will aim at making trade between the two countries more balanced and that they are working on common projects under a “win-win” strategy. /Hurriyet/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... [07] PUTIN’S PROVOCATIONBY SEMIH IDIZ (MILLIYET)Columnist Semih Idiz comments on Turkish-Russian relations on the international stage. A summary of his column is as follows: “Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that the US might locate its planned missile defense system in Turkey ‘against the threat of Iran’ should be considered a provocation. Obviously, with this initiative Putin wants to kill two birds with one stone. First he aims to steer the US away from such former Soviet satellites as Poland and the Czech Republic and so continue to exercise influence on these countries. Although they are European Union members, these countries and ones like them have just recently overcome their fear of Russia. In Estonia, a bold, vocal Russian minority recently caused a ruckus after a Soviet war memorial was moved, thus deepening the fears of the former Warsaw pact countries. The countries in question are more ‘Atlanticist’ than the so-called ‘old Europe,’ and so place great importance on their military ties with the US. That’s why they stood with the US over Iraq. Although Washington says this missile shield is meant to counter the threat from Iran, Moscow wants to turn the issue into a new Cold War. It’s here that its provocation against Turkey comes in, because in making this surprising suggestion Putin referred to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and so he aims to control Washington through Turkey and spoil Turkish-US relations. In doing this, of course Putin knows that Turkish-US relations are very bad right now, anti-American sentiments have reached a peak in Turkey, there is no consensus between Ankara and Washington concerning the Iran issue and even Turkey’s military wing is talking about getting involved in strategic relations with Moscow. If Putin’s suggestion is carried through, clearly Turkish-American ties will suffer further damage due to public criticism, and Iran won’t tolerate it. So Ankara sees Putin’s suggestion as a nonstarter. On the other hand, this suggestion shows that if Turkey directs all of its attention in one direction, for example, Iraq, it can be used as a tool in conflicts between global powers. In other words, there are certain signs that Turkey’s strategic location, which was considered an advantage during the Cold War, might slowly turn into a dangerous curse. In sum, if Turkey limits its threat perception to Iraq alone, it won’t be able to see dangers from other places. We should know that we are a country which can launch dangerous adventures on the lowest level due to our strategic importance, which is sometimes seen as an advantage, and sometimes a curse.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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