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Turkish Press Review, 03-04-25
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
25.04.2003
GUL: “TURKISH BUSINESSMEN WILL GET THE LION’S SHARE IN IRAQ’S
RECONSTRUCTION”
FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN: “TURKEY IS DETERMINED TO FULFILL EU CRITERIA”
[02] GUL: “TURKISH BUSINESSMEN WILL GET THE LION’S SHARE IN IRAQ’S
RECONSTRUCTION”
[03] GUL TO VISIT DAMASCUS
[04] FOREIGN MINISTRY PROTESTS UNVEILING OF KOMITAS STATUE IN PARIS IN COMMEMORATION OF SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
[05] ANKARA REACTS TO GARNER’S STATEMENT
[06] VERHEUGEN: “IF TURKEY IMPLEMENTS THE POLITICAL CRITERIA IT MAY JOIN THE EU IN 2011”
[07] GOVERNMENT TO PAY CIVIL SERVANTS’ COMPULSORY SAVINGS
[08] OECD PREDICTS TURKEY’S INFLATION 27% FOR THIS YEAR, URGES THE GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT ECONOMIC REFORMS
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[10] EVERY YEAR THE SAME CHORUS BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
[01] ERDOGAN: “TURKEY IS DETERMINED TO FULFILL EU CRITERIA”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received European Union
Commissioner Responsible for Budget Michaele Schreyer. Erdogan said that
Turkey was determined to fulfill EU’s political criteria to become an EU
member. During the meeting, reportedly EU’s financial aid to Turkey was
taken up. Stressing that the EU had increased its financial aid, Erdogan
said, “But it should be higher than the specified amount.” For her part,
Schreyer stated that Turkey should fulfill EU’s political criteria by the
end of 2004. She pledged that the EU would grant some 1 billion euros to
Turkey up to the year of 2006. /Turkiye/
[02] GUL: “TURKISH BUSINESSMEN WILL GET THE LION’S SHARE IN IRAQ’S
RECONSTRUCTION”
Receiving a delegation from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) at the
Foreign Ministry yesterday, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that the
Turkish exporters were very likely to enjoy a great many opportunities in
Iraq’s reconstruction process. “No matter what some says, the Turkish
businessmen will get the lion’s share in Iraq,” added Gul. “Most of all,
Turkish exporters will benefit from Iraq’s domestic markets.” /Cumhuriyet/
[03] GUL TO VISIT DAMASCUS
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is due to visit Damascus, Syria to hold
contacts with Syrian officials next Tuesday. Gul is scheduled to meet with
his Syrian counterpart Farouk al-Shara and President Bahsar al-Assad. On
the expected agenda of Gul’s visit are Iraq’s postwar regime and the
country’s reconstruction process, and Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well
as strengthening bilateral relations between Turkey and Syria. /Cumhuriyet/
[04] FOREIGN MINISTRY PROTESTS UNVEILING OF KOMITAS STATUE IN PARIS IN
COMMEMORATION OF SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Foreign Ministry issued an official statement protesting the unveiling of a
statue of Armenian composer Komitas in Paris yesterday in commemoration of
the so-called Armenian genocide by Turks in 1915. “It is regrettable that
third parties’ mistaken ideas have been allowed to harm Turkish-French
relations, especially in light of the negative effects of France’s so-
called Armenian genocide law passed in 2001,” the statement said. The said
French Parliament resolution was passed in 2001 and caused rifts in
relations between Ankara and Paris. A plaque on statue’s pedestal made
mention of “1.5 million Armenians, the victims of the first genocide of the
twentieth century in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.” Contrary to the Armenian
arguments, Komitas, who spent his last 16 years in France, was not among
those who lost their lives during the Ottoman deportation of Armenians in
Anatolia to Syria in 1915 as a part of the measures taken against the
Tashnak and Hunchak Committees, two Armenian organizations which were
carried out terrorist activities against Turkish population in eastern
Anatolia in 1915. 40,000 to 50,000 Armenian people died during deportations
because of epidemic and scarce of food as well as bad weather conditions.
/Turkiye/
[05] ANKARA REACTS TO GARNER’S STATEMENT
Turkey reacted to American Retired Gen. Jay Garner’s recent statement,
“Kirkuk is a Kurdish city.” Garner, who will be the head of an interim
government to be established in Iraq, paid a visit to northern Iraq on
Wednesday and met with Kurdish leaders Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani.
In a press conference, he claimed that Kirkuk was a Kurdish city. Regarding
the future of Kirkuk, he said that the new administration would deal with
the Kirkuk issue. “The topic that who would govern Kirkuk will be taken up
later,” he added. Summoning the US Embassy undersecretary to Turkish
Foreign Ministry yesterday, Turkish officials conveyed Turkey’s concerns
over Garner’s recent statement. The officials said that in case Garner made
such a statement, then it was a violation of an compromise reached during a
gathering by the attendance of the Iraqi opposition leaders, and Turkish
and US officials on March 19 in Ankara. US Ambassador to Turkey Robert
Pearson will also be summoned to Foreign Ministry and he is expected to
brief about the issue. /Turkiye/
[06] VERHEUGEN: “IF TURKEY IMPLEMENTS THE POLITICAL CRITERIA IT MAY JOIN
THE EU IN 2011”
Speaking at the European Union Partnership Council in Brussels yesterday,
EU Commisioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen said that if Turkey
implements EU’s political criteria, it might join the union in 2011. “If
Turkey implements the political criteria and resolves the Cyprus issue,
talks may begin in 2005,” said Verheugen. “After completing talks, it may
sign its EU accession agreement.” Verheugen remarked that the Iraq war
proved Turkey’s importance once again, adding that Turkey’s economic
potential is greater than that of the EU’s new member countries. “Turkey
may play an important role in heading off conflict between the West and
Islamic world since it is influential and important for both sides. “ If
Turkey fails to receive a date by the end of 2004 for negotiations, the
nation would be disappointed,” he stated. /Milliyet/
[07] GOVERNMENT TO PAY CIVIL SERVANTS’ COMPULSORY SAVINGS
A bill proposes to pay civil servants’ compulsory savings this month and
interests of them in 10 installments in three years yesterday passed
Parliament. Following President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s approval, principal
capital of the savings which amounts 1.4 quadrillion is to be paid to 15
million servants in April. The bill also proposes interest on savings to be
paid every three months beginning from March 2004. /All Papers/
[08] OECD PREDICTS TURKEY’S INFLATION 27% FOR THIS YEAR, URGES THE
GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT ECONOMIC REFORMS
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD declared
yesterday that Turkey was unlikely to achieve its growth and inflation
targets for this year due to signs of slippage from IMF fiscal targets. The
organization stated that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government
should continue to fully implement the economic reforms in order to roll
over its debt successfully. “Repeated budget slippages would impact on the
financial exchange rate markets, threatening the viability of the recovery
as well as the disinflation process,” the organization said. “Adherence to
expenditure targets and steady implementation of the structural reforms in
the banking sector are very important in order to bring down inflation and
to create the conditions for a durable recovery.” OECD said that Turkey’s
economy exceeded expectations in 2002 by growing 7.8% as it recovered from
a deep recession. However, it added that 20% inflation target for this year
didn’t seem feasible, but that this year’s inflation would be 27%. /Aksam/
[09] FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…
[10] EVERY YEAR THE SAME CHORUS BY SAMI KOHEN (MILLIYET)
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on the so-called Armenian issue. A summary of
his column is as follows:
“We see the same picture on April 24 and listen to the same chorus every
year. The situation was the same yesterday. There were commemorations
particularly in the places where the Armenian lobby is effective due to the
day for commemorating the so-called Armenian genocide. This time a monument
was set up in Paris in the name of the so-called genocide. Of course France
isn’t the only country which has a stance favoring Armenians. Besides
France, many countries, including Sweden, Argentina, Russia and Greece, has
a law concerning the so-called Armenian genocide. In addition to the
decisions taken by certain states in the US, now there is the ‘Armenian
genocide bill’ numbered HR 123 on the agenda of the US Congress.
When there is the same scenario on April 24 every year, the officials from
Turkey and the countries close to Turkey say, ‘Not the politicians, but the
historians should evaluate these claims. Let the historians determine the
truth.’ This is a reasonable approach. However, this suggestion, which has
been repeated for many years, cannot be carried out for some reason or
other. Except the individual researches carried out by the Turkish and
foreign historians, there isn’t a collective undertaking. As I wrote before,
Turkey should be the initiator of such a joint work. This would also
establish a dialogue with the circles of the Armenian origin or the circles
close to the Armenian thesis.
During French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin’s visit to Ankara two
days ago, this issue, with the connection of the establishment of the
monument, was discussed. In this respect, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul stated that this issue shouldn’t overshadow the relations between the
two countries. The difficulty faced by France is that there is a crowded
Armenian lobby in the country, which affects particularly the local
authority and make them accept their demands. As a French diplomat said,
‘In spite of all its efforts, the government is incapable of preventing
these sorts of actions.’ The difficulty faced by Turkey is the fact that
many countries have a similar stance. Can Ankara follow a successful
foreign policy by being angry at these countries and damaging its relations
with them? For this reason, Turkey should discuss this issue with a new
approach this very moment, without waiting for the provocations to occur
next year.”
ARCHIVE
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