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Wednesday, 14 August 2024
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Turkish Press Review, 08-12-18Turkish 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 morning18.12.2008CONTENTS
[01] APOLOGY CAMPAIGN DRAWS REACTION, CRITICISMSA statement by more than 50 former Turkish ambassadors criticizing an initiative to apologize for the 1915 killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans is making for a "lively discussion," said President Abdullah Gul yesterday. "Turkey is a country where everyone can express their opinions," he added. "So various groups and persons can come together and express their opinions." Also criticizing the online apology initiative, started by a group of scholars, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "I don't accept this campaign, I don't support this campaign, I don't take part in it. We committed no crimes, so we don't need to apologize." He added that he had difficulty understanding the scholars because the campaign is being very disruptive. Asked about the initiative at a reception hosted by Kazakh Ambassador to Ankara Bagdad Amreyev, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that retired ambassadors had already made the proper response. In related news, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Burak Ozuergin said that all issues are open for discussion in Turkey and that foreign policy must take into account the public's views. Sayinig that both the campaign and the ambassadors' statement are private initiatives, he added that Turkey's stance on the incidents of 1915 is public and well known. /Milliyet/[02] AKP MAYORS IN THREE MAJOR CITIES TO SEEK NEW TERMS, ERDOGAN ANNOUNCESIn local elections set for next March, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has decided to try to stay with the current mayors of three greater municipalities. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday announced the re-nomination of the AKP mayors: Mehmet Özhaseki in Kayseri, Menderes Türel in Antalya and Tahir Akyürek in Konya. Saying that these cities look to the entire world like European cities, Erdogan said this is the result of his party's work at the local level. He added that they would finish announcing the candidates next month. In nominating the candidates for Istanbul and Kocaeli over the weekend, the AKP is also expected to continue with the current mayors. Also touching on government aid for the needy, Erdogan denied opposition claims that the AKP is using this aid for political ends. Under the Constitution, the Turkish Republic is a social welfare state, and this requires aid to the needy, he said. "That's all that we're doing now," he added. In related news, the main opposition Republican People Party (CHP) is expected to nominate its current Izmir Greater Municipality Mayor Aziz Kocaoglu for another term. /Turkiye-Sabah/[03] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT PARVANOV MEETS WITH GUL, ERDOGANPresident Abdullah Gul and his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov yesterday attended a luncheon hosted by the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TUSIAD) to mark a Turkish-Bulgarian Business Council meeting. During the meeting, Gul called on businesspeople from both countries to work together as much as possible. For his part, Parvanov said there were too few mutual investments. Parvanov also met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. /Star/[04] IN KONYA, ANNIVERSARY OF RUMI'S DEATH OBSERVEDThe 735th anniversary of the death of 13th century philosopher and mystic poet Rumi was commemorated yesterday with a ceremony in Konya. Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Rumi's views are based on Islam. "Diversity has coexisted in safety, and synagogues, churches and mosques have been together on this land for ages," he added. Saying that people who illicitly try to link terrorism with Islam and spread Islamophobia should read Rumi's work, he added that Rumi and classical German writer Goethe share a similar understanding. Also speaking at the ceremony, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that those who try to smear Islam with terrorism and violence must face Rumi's humanitarian philosophy, adding, "Thus, Turkey is a place where Islam lives in the most free and rational way." Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay also attended the ceremony. /Milliyet/[05] GOVT TO PROVIDE MORE LOANS TO SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES NEXT YEARNext year the government will loan an additional $5 billion to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing financial difficulties due to the global economic crisis. The Treasury Undersecretariat will assume a key role in distributing the loans. The government is also continuing its talks with the World Bank, European Investment Bank and European Commission Development Bank to find new financial resources to cushion the companies from the impact of the crisis. These resources will be distributed as investment credits and working capital loans. In related news, the World Bank announced yesterday that it will extend a $500 million loan to Turkey. The WB said the loan was meant to help government efforts to boost employment and economic growth. /Turkiye/[06] SCHROEDER: "WE NEED MORE ENERGY PROJECTS BESIDES NABUCCO"Europe needs Iran's natural gas, and so its policy towards Iran should be different from the US', said former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder yesterday. Addressing a meeting on energy in Istanbul, Schroeder, now working as an advisor to Russian energy giant Gazprom, said, "Besides the Nabucco project, we need different energy projects to transport Caspian natural gas to Europe via Turkey, but they shouldn't compete with each other." He called Turkey an energy bridge between Europe and Iran and Russia, two main energy-providing countries. Stating that by 2020 Europe's annual energy demand will total 200 billion cubic meters, he said the pipelines now being built will only meet 20 million cubic meters of this need. Touching on Turkey's Turkey’s European Union negotiation process and the foreign policy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), he praised progress in EU membership talks and Turkey's mediation efforts between Syria and Israel, and between Russia and Georgia. /Star/FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… [07] TRT TO BROADCAST IN KURDISHBY NASUHI GUNGOR (STAR)Columnist Nasuhi Gungor comments on the TRT's initiative to broadcast in Kurdish. A summary of his column is as follows: "In the midst of discussion of next year's local elections and the 2009 budget, there's another development that shouldn't be ignored. We've started an important countdown. On January 1, state broadcaster TRT will start a new channel in Kurdish. This 24-hour channel comes at the end of long, hard work and much debate. Let's say a few words about TRT General Director Ibrahim Sahin. When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan nominated him for the post, many people questioned the decision. Views of him have been varied. Some said he lacked media experience and wondered if he was a 'typical bureaucrat.' But Sahin defied expectations. When I had the chance to talk with him a few times, I was very surprised to see his calm and determination, as on the issue of broadcasting in Kurdish. Let's look at the TRT's move. Some people see broadcasting in Kurdish on a state TV channel as separatism and contrary to Turkey's indivisibility. Others say that new channel will only make thing worse. Some see it as a worthy project that can never succeed, because it has no staff and certain forces won't let it. It's hard to explain anything to those who fall in the first category. Obviously, they have played a role in the process of bringing the issue to its current state. But we must recognize that they have a certain amount of power both in the state and public. That's why they should be told insistently and carefully what the project really means. Here, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has a lot to do. But equally important are the people who claim the Kurdish issue as their own and exploit it to enrich themselves. We all know that for 25 years now, those who consider themselves the political and cultural owners, leaders and friends of Kurds have helped make our country a bloody place. Now they're uncomfortable about this channel, as it will deprive them of a trump card they have used to deceive their 'own' people. Those who say the TRT is trying to corrupt our culture have only destroyed the values that the Kurds have owned for many years on this land. Now let's write about those who consider this project positive. Yes, the project faces many hurdles. It's hard to find staff, and in making programming decisions many sensitive balances have to be considered. But there are some advantages that can solve these problems. Besides Sahin, the channel also has coordinator Sinan Ilhan, and Kamil Kayali and Sadik Yalsızucanlar, who helped him at every stage. I believe they will overcome these hurdles. Moreover, the channel wasn't just the decision of a single person. This important step, taken under the leadership of the government and Erdogan, also convinced the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and other security institutions. Just as with the Iraq issue, the 'state mindset' is working here. Actually, as I will write about some other day, we can't consider this issue apart from the Iraq issue." [08] INTELLECTUALS: WITNESSES OF THEIR OWN ERABY MUSTAFA BALBAY (CUMHURIYET)Columnist Mustafa Balbay comments on a recent initiative by a group of intellectuals to apologize for the killings of Armenians during the World War I era. A summary of his column is as follows: "Out of the many definitions of 'intellectual,' here is one of my favorites: Intellectuals are the witnesses of the era they live in. Witnessing an era is not as easy as some might think. A real intellectual draws strength from reality. Intellectuals are people who can tell and write about the reality around them… There are many difficulties for intellectuals in countries such as Turkey, at the crossroad of global developments. On the other hand, there are some people who think that being an intellectual means being a part of global politics, instead of dealing with the realities of their time! They started a petition with the following text: 'My conscience cannot accept the ignorance and denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and â€" on my own behalf â€" I share the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers â€" and I apologize to them.' The petition drive is planned to last for about a year, which gives the impression that it's a part of a longer-term plan, not a short-term one. Reading the petition, someone who is ignorant of history would get the impression that: 1. In 1915, only the Armenians suffered. This great injustice must be redressed. 2. Since an apology is needed, the Armenians, who were completely innocent, experienced a great tragedy. 3. The Ottoman Empire was the state holding all the power and controlling all events in its territory, and went into action against only the Armenians. 4. In that era and afterwards, no other state was strong enough to act against the Ottomans. The Ottomans saw themselves as the sole power. 5. The Republic of Turkey, the successor to the Ottoman state, has rejected all allegations, offered no information or documents about the events, has not opened its archives, and has indifferently closed its ears. But, in fact, none of these impressions is true: 1. 1915 saw the bloodiest battles of World War I. 2. The Battle of the Dardanelles that year was the Ottomans' struggle for survival, in which they only tried to defend themselves. 3. Facing this situation, the Ottoman Empire took a series of measures against developments in Anatolia aimed against it, just as it defended itself in the Dardanelles. 4. When the British invaded Istanbul, they searched every nook and cranny in vain to find information or documents concerning a bloodbath against the Armenians. The British, American and Russian archives of that era are similarly silent. 5. In the succeeding years, Turkey proposed turning the matter over to historians, and has announced at every turn that the archives are open to researchers. Today, certain people who care nothing about healing ties between Ankara and Yerevan are working to act against Turkey in league with Armenians: Recognition, compensation, land… First the alleged genocide will be recognized… Then compensation will be demanded, and finally land… It is intellectuals' duty to reveal these facts… If someone needs to apologize for the events of 1915, then it's the imperialist states of that time, and the modern-day implementers of these policies!" Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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