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Turkish Press Review, 08-11-20Turkish 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 morning20.11.2008FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNSCONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT GUL VISITS MALATYAPresident Abdullah Gul yesterday attended a ceremony at the Second Army Commandership Engineer Corps Legion in Malatya. Afterwards, Gul visited Inonu University and met with Cemil Celik, the university's rector. Asked about Turkish Army clashes with PKK terrorists on Wednesday which led to several casualties, Gul said, "I believe that in the days to come, a new dimension in the fight against terrorism will emerge." He added, "The regional administration in northern Iraq has also started to feel the obligation to do its part in the fight against terrorism." Gul also visited Malatya Mayor Cemal Akin. /Star/[02] GUL: "TURKEY SHOULD PRODUCE AND DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY"President Abdullah Gul yesterday attended the opening ceremony of the 25th National Information Congress in Ankara. Addressing the ceremony, Gul said that Turkey's IT sector has seen critical developments in recent years, adding, "Turkey cannot be a country that only transfers technology, it must be a country that can produce and develop technology. This is important not only economically but also politically, and for security and other reasons. We shouldn't miss out on this opportunity." /Aksam/[03] ERDOGAN: "WE WON'T ALLOW OPPORTUNISTS TO EXPLOIT THE ECONOMIC CRISIS"Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended a reception in Ankara of the International Investors' Association (YASED). Speaking at the occasion, Erdogan said Turkey is becoming a foreign investment magnet thanks to the 2003 Foreign Direct Investment Act, adding that coordination among governmental institutions is helping this effort. Touching on the global financial crisis, Erdogan warned that the government wouldn't allow anybody to exploit the crisis' impact for personal gain. "We must turn the crisis into an opportunity not just for some, but for the entire nation," he said. Stressing that the financial sector should do everything it can to stem the crisis, Erdogan said that banks should avoid calling back loans and not hesitate to provide new ones. He added that raising interest rates would threaten the economy. All the country's political and economic actors should cooperate fully in line with a common strategy to successfully manage the crisis' impact, he said. /Turkiye/[04] EKREN: "TURKEY IS IN LINE TO BECOME A GLOBAL ACTOR"Addressing the fifth meeting of the Turkish Trade and Industry Council held by the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), Deputy Prime Minister Nazim Ekren said yesterday that the government is taking all necessary steps to minimize the impact of the global economic crisis, adding that as a country highly integrated with the global economic system, Turkey cannot escape the crisis' impact. With the 17th-largest economy in the world and the sixth in Europe, Turkey is in line to become a global actor, not just a regional one, he added. Stressing the importance of cooperation and mutual understanding between the government and financial and non-financial private sector players, he said a strong private sector, effective coordination, and reduced red tape would fuel economic growth. "The most important thing is that we maintain stability in the domestic market," Ekren said. He stressed that Turkey should have a disciplined fiscal policy and balance public expenditures. He said the government should carefully follow developments in both domestic and international markets so it can take the necessary steps. Turkey must get ready for the future with a strong economy so it can stand on its own two feet, Ekren said. He also stressed the importance of political stability, calling this the guarantor of a strong economy. /Turkiye/[05] IN BAGHDAD, ATALAY AND IRAQI, US OFFICIALS DISCUSS ANTI-PKK MEASURESA delegation led by Interior Minister Besir Atalay yesterday attended a tripartite meeting in Baghdad with Iraqi and US officials to coordinate efforts against the terrorist PKK. Atalay's delegation, including Special Envoy to Iraq Murat Ozcelik, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's foreign policy advisor Ahmet Davutoglu, and military officials, met with Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, Iraqi State Minister for National Security affairs Shirwan al-Waili, and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. Afterwards, Atalay said that a new US-Iraqi security agreement had ushered in a new era, and that in the meeting Ankara had told the other two sides about measures to eradicate the terrorist PKK. Before the meeting, Atalay met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the Green Zone, who said that the PKK harms not only Turks but also Iraqis. Later returning to Turkey, Atalay stated that measures to take against the PKK in northern Iraq had been laid out, adding, "The meeting also discussed the future of Iraq and its security problems, and was very fruitful." /Star/[06] MHP DEPUTY AKTAN PASSES AWAYGunduz Aktan, a former ambassador and member of Parliament from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), yesterday passed away at the age of 67. Aktan had been receiving medical treatment in Ankara for a heart condition. Aktan was elected to Parliament in last year's general elections, and had served as Turkey's ambassador to both Greece and Japan. He had also served as Turkey's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva, Switzerland. Aktan was married and had two children. /All papers/[07] SCHAEUBLE: "A TURKISH CHANCELLOR IN GERMANY IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME"A German citizen of Turkish origin could some day rise to the post of chancellor, German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said yesterday. Asked by Stern magazine if a Turk could be chancellor, Schaeuble said, "If you mean a German citizen who came from Turkey as a migrant, yes, why not?" Asked when this would happen, Schaeuble said, "It's a matter of time," adding, "There's a great potential in the third young German generation of Turkish origin." /Milliyet/[08] ONE MAJOR KILLED, FOUR SOLDIERS INJURED WITH PKK CLASH IN AGRIIn clashes with the terrorist PKK yesterday, Maj. Suleyman Can was killed and four other soldiers were wounded, said Agrı Governor Mehmet Cetin. In a separate clash, two soldiers were killed, and two other were injured in Diyarbakir. /All papers/FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS…FROM THE COLUMNS [09] TURKEY'S EUROPEBY HASAN BULENT KAHRAMAN (SABAH)Columnist Hasan Bulent Kahraman comments on the relationship between Europe and Turkey and the concept of democracy. A summary of his column is as follows: "Yes, the European Union has finally realized that the idea of Europe can't be based on three dangerous concepts, namely, classicism, humanism and Europe, but that a new structure is possible only once they're cast aside. Developments since the 1990s have introduced a new European population and sociology. Obviously, this new structure is completely hybrid. The hegemony of the universal has been broken by the reality of the local. The teeming masses who come to Europe from other regions with their own culture who are willing to contribute to their adopted countries with their democratic rights can't be unified by the romantic 19th century concept of Europeanness. Let me reiterate what I said yesterday: Europe is trying to take Europe out of itself. If one asks what the common value of such a Europe would be, my answer would be democracy. The classical idea and culture of Europe will perhaps operate, but that's only possible only by democratizing it. Obviously, a compulsory, exclusionary and introverted stance would be anti-democratic, but the insistence on European culture and the ideals of classicism and humanism wouldn't be democratic either. More to the point â€" let me say this directly â€" the history of Europe is racist and colonialist. Moreover, Europe committed these crimes under the idea of Europe. Europe has no common means of culture, except democracy, and it is the 'dark continent' that produced fascism, as British historian Mark Mazower calls it. Doubtlessly, one of the most important factors constraining Europe in this direction today is Islam. Although the degree of its democratic character is a question, Islam is the most important external force which insists on democratizing the world outside it, at least in terms of the policies of identity and recognition. This situation has necessarily caused Europe to review its relationship with secularism, and now continental Europe is rebuilding itself through such countries as France and Germany, which are feeling this the most. Let's return to ourselves and ask about our meaning in this framework. Why don't we ask this? The relationship between today's Europe and Turkey â€" which modernized itself towards being European and Western, took its law and culture from there, and claims today that it's European and has the right to join the EU â€" is now completely different. Turkey is now a reference point for Europe, both in terms of alternative modernization and its relationship with Islam, because modern Turkey is both inside and outside Europe. This is how both sides see it. In these circumstances, Turkey's integration with Europe through culture is both quite difficult and not so necessary. If it wants to become an EU member to show its Europeanness, the way to do so would be integration with the continent in line with democracy and the law. So the EU is a triangulation point, a touchstone and a criterion for Turkey. In other words, the EU is a technical reference for Turkey, and that's it. This road would not only make Turkey European, but also give it the chance to transform Europe. Turkey has seized the most important trump card for itself since the 19th century. Getting bogged down in the conflicts of culture and civilization and locality and universality would be useless. Let alone Turkey, as long as European society isn't democratic, it's not European, either." [10] THE LOSS OF A DISTINGUISHED INTELLECTUALBY MEHMET Y. YILMAZ (HURRIYET)Columnist Mehmet Yilmaz comments on the loss of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy and former Ambassador Gunduz Aktan. A summary of his column is as follows: "Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy Gunduz Aktan, who has been suffering from cancer, passed away yesterday. When I was working for Radical daily, I didn't hesitate to give him column space, although our political views differed greatly. I was greatly impressed by his deep knowledge and his ability to express it. He was a vital intellectual. This must have made him stand out during his tenure at the Foreign Ministry. When he decided to run for Parliament, I was sad to think that he would get swept up in our political life. But later I felt pleased for Parliament to have such a person in its ranks. But his serious illness and now his early loss deprived Turkey of Aktan's service. Although, we didn't have similar views on certain subjects, Aktan had much to give Turkey, especially on the so-called Armenian genocide allegations. We have lost an esteemed intellectual, something that comes along only rarely. May God rest his soul!" Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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