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Turkish Press Review, 09-06-03Turkish 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 morning03.06.2009CONTENTS
[01] DAVUTOGLU TO VISIT AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTANForeign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is set to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan next week to discuss the regional issues. He will also pay a visit to Iraq in upcoming days to hold bilateral talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari. /Aksam/[02] BASBUG ADDRESSES ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF TURKISH-AMERICAN COUNCIL IN WASHINGTONSpeaking at the opening dinner of the 28th Annual Conference of the Turkish- American Council (ATC) in Washington on Monday, Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug praised bilateral ties between Turkey and the US, saying that these ties have been built on the shared values and interests of both nations, which are also deeply rooted and historical. "Our relations are very comprehensive, which cannot be limited to one specific issue. Two friendly nations need each other, and cooperation should be based on mutual confidence," Basbug said. He also met with Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the sidelines of the conference. /Hurriyet/[03] GREEK COMMANDER KARAMALIKIS VISITS NAVAL FORCES COMMANDER ATACGreek Naval Forces Commander Adm. George Karamalikis paid a visit to his Turkish counterpart Metin Atac. Afterwards, Atac said that they had discussed ways to boost peace in the Aegean Sea. "I'm sure that new initiatives and the dialogue process will contribute to the solution of problems between the two countries," he added. /Turkiye/[04] SYMPOSIUM HELD ON TURKISH-IRANIAN RELATIONSIran’s Ambassador to Ankara Bahman Huseyinpur yesterday said that the mutual realization by both parties of shared short- and long-term interests marks a new phase in the relationship between Iran and Turkey. Speaking at the 6th Symposium on Turkish-Iranian Relations, held at Ankara’s Surmeli Hotel, Huseyinpur said that Turkey and Iran were both strong regional players with their own goals and targets. /Hurriyet Daily News/[05] TURKEY-WORLD TRADE BRIDGE 2009 OPENS IN ISTANBULThe Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists' (TUSKON) Turkey-World Trade Bridge 2009 opened its doors yesterday with a grand inauguration ceremony in Istanbul with the attendance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan and numerous trade ministers from across the world. Speaking at the opening of the event, Premier Erdogan praised TUSKON for initiating the trade bridge at a time of global economic crisis which had negative impacts on the world trade. Nearly 3,200 businessmen from Turkey and 2,300 others from 135 countries will evaluate the chances of establishing trade deals with each other during the three-day summit. The event is expected to directly contribute to Turkey's economy with an increase of more than $7 billion in trade. 455 companies from the construction and real estate sectors, 376 from the agricultural sector and 209 from the food and beverage industry are exhibiting at the trade bridge. Other major fields include chemicals, energy, electronics, computer software and hardware, furniture, textiles, jewelry and precious stones. Following the ceremony, a panel discussion entitled "The Future of Global Trade: Opportunities and New Possibilities for Cooperation" was held. /Sabah/[06] ISTANBUL TEXTILE FAIR TO HOST LEADING FIRMSThe TUYAP Fair and Congress Center in Istanbul will host the International Textile Machinery (ITM) 2009 exhibition set to begin on Saturday. Some 1, 500 companies from 37 countries are expected to participate in this year’s event. The event is held every three years. The ITM 2006 has hosted 1,200 companies from 35 countries and more than 70,000 visitors. /Hurriyet Daily News/FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… FROM THE COLUMNS… [07] ESTABLISHING A NORM IN FOREIGN POLITICSBY BULENT ARAS (SABAH)Columnist Bulent Aras comments on the establishment of a new norm in foreign politics, which was pointed out by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. A summary of his column is as follows: "Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu raised the bar in foreign politics. Turkey aims to achieve the highest level political and economic cooperation. A great many things can be said about shaping the foreign policies on the axis of a norm and increasing the goals. A peace zone is establishing around our country thanks to this approach in foreign politics. Our stance favoring 'zero problems' with our close regions extending from the Central East to Caucasus attracts great attention. The countries concerned might adopt and implement them. It is considered the job of great powers to establish norms in international relations. But the great powers haven't been so successful in this field, as shown by the US in the era of Bush administration. Turkey enjoys the opportunity of making close geographies accept the approach of zero problems with its neighbors as a foreign policy norm. The link of peace and security might extend from Turkey's borders towards the borders of neighboring countries thanks to this initiative. Furthermore, Turkey's foreign politics, which makes the establishment of this norm meaningful in a sense, should be carefully implemented. As a norm, its value depends on its success in implementation. We should be aware of our homework. Another condition is the development of sanctions which hinder the violation of this norm. The foreign politics can fulfill these conditions. Turkey's foreign politics are conducted as part of an ethical framework and the awareness of responsibility. The policies which are shaped in line with these concepts don't cause any problem with legitimacy in the region, but increase Turkey's value in the international arena. Building up a reputation as a ethical and responsible actor makes it easier to undertake normative tasks and establish norms in foreign politics. The first stage of establishing a norm in foreign politics consists of convincing the countries covered by the target group. The countries which are regionally effective should particularly adopt this norm. The turning point would be considerably increasing the number of countries which adopt this norm. The last stage consists of turning the norm into a usual foreign politics behavior. Turkey's capabilities to ensure the establishment of a norm consist of its economic stability, educated population and intellectual richness. We can combine these capabilities with the advantages which are provided by the historical and cultural proximity. The civilian society, research centers, universities and intellectuals take an active position in almost every field of foreign politics. Besides the relations among politicians, social relations might also create an impact in terms of ensuring peace and stability. The diplomats and experts should conduct persuasion processes, as well as meetings and conferences should be organized so that the approach of zero problems is adopted with neighbors. Efforts for establishing an international norm should also be supported by the international society. The Balkans, the Black Sea Region, Caucasus, Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean basins have suffered serious problems in the last decade. There's a dark boundary over this geography. Turkey, which has set its home in order and made efforts for the establishment of peace in the region, turned into a center of attraction. Turkey's strategic depth in close basins makes it possible to share its gains. This situation is also a historical responsibility for Turkey. The initiatives to establish an assertive norm in a difficult geography might fail. It's not guaranteed that the approach of zero problems will solve all the problems. But these initiatives are needed so that the mentioned geography can overcome this dark boundary and reach brightness. There's not a serious hindrance on countries in the region to adopt this approach of zero problems with neighbors as a rule of foreign politics. In line with an optimistic point of view, we might be talking about the new horizon and the highest level political and economic cooperation which was pointed out by Davutoglu in a short period of time." Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |