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Turkish Press Review, 05-11-22Turkish 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> e-mail : newspot@byegm.gov.tr <caption> <_caption> Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning22.11.2005ERDOGAN VISITS HAKKARI ITALIAN PRESIDENT VISITS TURKEY GUL: “MERKEL WON’T AFFECT TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP PROCESS” AGAR, MUMCU PRAISE ERDOGAN’S VISIT TO HAKKARI ERDOGAN MEETS WITH TOP OFFICIALS FROM EUROPEAN COMPANIES, FOREIGN FIRMS OPERATING IN TURKEY SCREENING OF NEW EU CHAPTER STARTS IN BRUSSELS EU FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS WAYS TO END TRNC’S ISOLATION TRNC’S EROGLU STEPS DOWN FROM UBP HELM EIGHT VAN UNIVERSITY LECTURERS RESIGN IMF REPORT HAILS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS, WARNS OF HIGH CURRENT ACCOUNTS DEFICIT TURKEY-EU JOINT ADVISORY COMMISSION SET TO MEET FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... THE PICTURE ERDOGAN FACED BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN VISITS HAKKARIFollowing a bombing incident 10 days ago and mounting tension, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accompanied by Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu and Justice Minister Cemil Cicek yesterday visited the Hakkari province’s towns of Semdinli and Yuksekova in an effort to calm the region. After a gathering with regional officials, Erdogan addressed local citizens. Stressing that everybody should respect individuals’ sub-identities, Erdogan added, however, that citizenship in the Republic of Turkey stood above such sub-identities, and urged unity and brotherhood for all. He also vowed to fully probe the bombing incident and asked citizens not to take part in provocative actions. /Hurriyet/[02] ITALIAN PRESIDENT VISITS TURKEYItalian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi accompanied by some 600 businessmen yesterday arrived in Ankara to pay an official visit. Ciampi is set to have talks with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today. Sezer is expected to host a banquet in the evening in Ciampi’s honor. Ciampi and his delegation will attend the Turkish-Italian Business Forum on Thursday in Istanbul. /Turkiye/[03] GUL: “MERKEL WON’T AFFECT TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP PROCESS”Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that all agreements with the European Union made before the beginning of Turkey’s accession talks continued to be valid for all governments. Speaking to German daily Berliner Zeitung, Gul said that during a recent meeting with German’s incoming Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, they had both agreed to continue the process just as scheduled. “When the time comes, people in Europe and Turkey will decide on Turkey’s membership, not now,” said Gul. He also expressed his belief that he would be good friends with Merkel, like outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. /Turkiye/[04] AGAR, MUMCU PRAISE ERDOGAN’S VISIT TO HAKKARITrue Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar said yesterday that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit this week to Hakkari, the site of a recent bombing and unrest, was positive though late in coming. Agar added that he was expecting the government to address the region’s problems within the law. In related news, Motherland Party (ANAP) leader Erkan Mumcu called the visit a “very positive initiative,” adding that the government couldn’t win its fight against the terrorist PKK without the support of the citizens of the region. “They need to see that the state stands with them,” added Mumcu. /Milliyet/[05] ERDOGAN MEETS WITH TOP OFFICIALS FROM EUROPEAN COMPANIES, FOREIGN FIRMS OPERATING IN TURKEYPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with the Round Table Delegation, a group composed of top-level officials from European firms and foreign firms operating in Turkey. Addressing the gathering, Erdogan said that he expected Turkey would attract about $15 billion in global capital in 2005-2007, adding that the government was continuing to work to establish an investment promotion agency towards this goal. Erdogan also touted recent positive economic developments, adding that now Turkey was a country of confidence and stability offering a host of opportunities. “Our private sector has contributed to these positive trends,” said Erdogan. “The state is no longer an actor in the economy. We only have controls and regulations while we work to find ways to bring our businessmen to the world.” Erdogan further reiterated that he would continue to “market” his country, a statement which has attracted criticism in recent weeks. State Minister Kursat Tuzmen, Economy Minister Ali Babacan, and Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan were also present at the meeting. In related news, Erdogan is due to pay an official visit to New Zealand next month. /Cumhuriyet/[06] SCREENING OF NEW EU CHAPTER STARTS IN BRUSSELSTurkish and European Union officials met in Brussels yesterday for an exploratory screening on the right of establishment and freedom to provide services, one of the 35 chapters into which the European Union’s legislation is divided. The meeting, which is expected to last until today, was in the form of a briefing by EU Commission experts on the EU legislation concerning this chapter. A detailed screening where officials from both sides will compare the EU and Turkish legislation is slated for Dec. 19. /Turkish Daily News/[07] EU FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS WAYS TO END TRNC’S ISOLATIONAt a meeting of the European Union General Affairs Council yesterday, EU foreign ministers discussed ways to end the isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). A proposed financial assistance package for easing the TRNC’s isolation includes 259 million euros in aid to the TRNC and would allow direct trade with EU members. The Greek Cypriot side claims that the aid and direct trade are separate issues, while the TRNC is pressing on direct trade. /Star/[08] TRNC’S EROGLU STEPS DOWN FROM UBP HELMTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) main opposition National Unity Party (UBP) leader Dervis Eroglu resigned from his post yesterday. Eroglu, the UBP’s leader for 22 consecutive years, pointed out that his party would hold its general congress on Dec. 24 and that he wanted to give opportunity to young people to lead the party. “I believe it’s time for fresh blood at the top,” added Eroglu. /Sabah/[09] EIGHT VAN UNIVERSITY LECTURERS RESIGNEight lecturers at Van’s Yuzuncu Yil Medical Faculty, including two professors, yesterday resigned from their posts. The lecturers stated that they could no longer work in the troubled atmosphere of the faculty. The university has recently been in the news due to corruption allegations. /Hurriyet/[10] IMF REPORT HAILS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS, WARNS OF HIGH CURRENT ACCOUNTS DEFICITThe International Monetary Fund yesterday issued a report on recent developments in the Turkish economy, stating that Ankara had signed a recent standby agreement with the IMF in order to maintain its fiscal stability. The report hailed the positive results of the economic program, but added that the current accounts deficit continued to be a risk for the economy. The report further warned that the economy was still fragile, adding that Turkey should continue to adopt important structural reforms in order to overcome its weaknesses. /Aksam/[11] TURKEY-EU JOINT ADVISORY COMMISSION SET TO MEETThe 20th meeting of Turkey-European Union Joint Advisory Commission is due to be held in Brussels next week, its first since Ankara began its EU accession talks on Oct. 3. There are 18 organizations in the commission, which was established in 1995. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is also expected to attend the gathering. The Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) is the secretariat of the commission, which has 36 members from both sides and two co-chairmen, one from Turkey and the other from the EU. /Star/[12] FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS...[13] THE PICTURE ERDOGAN FACED BY FIKRET BILA (MILLIYET)Columnist Fikret Bila comments on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit this week to Semdinli, Yuksekova and Hakkari. A summary of his column is as follows:“Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday paid a quick and sudden visit to Semdinli, Yuksekova and Hakkari. Erdogan was accompanied by Justice Minister Cemil Cicek and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu on his one-day trip. Although the incidents in these cities occurred 10 days ago, the prime minister and other ministers only visited the region yesterday. This was a belated visit. The criticism of the opposition, mostly True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar and True Path Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, that the prime minister and other ministers were indifferent to the incidents had an impact on this sudden visit. Obviously, this one-day visit won’t be enough. In addition, Aksu could have visited the region before, without waiting for Erdogan, and seen the situation for himself. The picture that Erdogan faced in Semdinli gave an idea about the essence and dimension of the problem. Erdogan was disturbed by the pro-PKK stance of those who received him. He wanted them to take down their banners, and the mayors silenced people who were chanting slogans. Although not as clearly or strongly as in previous meetings and marches, one could see that the banners and slogans of the people who came to listen to Erdogan didn’t fit in with the central administration in Ankara. One of the most striking was a banner saying ‘Don’t close down Roj-TV.’ The demonstrations held in Adana and Mersin to protest the incidents in Semdinli, Yuksekova and Hakkari show that there’s a serious problem of administration in the region. Erdogan must have seen this during his visit. It was seen once more that the central authority is very weak in the region’s administration and that local administrations and the Democratic Turkey Party (DTP) are the real authority. Erdogan’s recent remarks don’t cover the same ground as his previous stance, when he said that there was a Kurdish issue which would be solved with democracy. Erdogan didn’t mention being Turkish as the primary identity, but emphasized that citizenship was the top identity. However, it wasn’t enough for him to win support. The latest incidents and Erdogan’s visit showed that the PKK has lost the armed struggle, but gotten ahead politically. Other political parties and other institutions which follow a similar line are more influential than the central administration in the region. Parties and local administrators on this line determine their stance not according to Ankara, but according to Abdullah Ocalan imprisoned on Imrali island, as well as Brussels and even Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq.” ARCHIVE <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http:/_www.byegm.gov.tr_statistic/countcode.js"> </script> Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |