ERDOGAN VISITS RIZE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by State Minister Hayati Yazici, paid a visit to the Black Sea coastal city of Rize over the weekend. Addressing a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan said that Turkish people had given great support to the AKP. Stressing that his government had ensured reliability and stability in Turkey, the premier added that they would continue to serve the nation in line with the basic principles of the republic. /Turkiye/
STATE MINISTER SAHIN IN KAZAKHSTAN FOR CONFERENCE
State Minister for the Economy Mehmet Sahin left for Kazakhstan on Saturday to attend a conference on "Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia" set for today. He is also set to hold bilateral talks with Kazakh officials. /Turkish Daily News/
CAGLAYAN: "PUTTING MONEY IN TURKEY HAS BECOME A PRIVILEGE FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS"
Investing in Turkey has become a privilege for foreign investors, said Industry and Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan yesterday. Touting Turkey as an important automobile production hub, he said, "In recent years Turkey has made important strides towards being a state under the rule of law, in line with international law, with a well-established market economy, and this has made Turkey a favored and attractive location for foreign investors." Stressing that Turkey enjoys key advantages to attract more foreign investments, he said that the government had made sweeping legal changes to make such investing easier. He said that to make the progress in its automotive sector sustainable, Turkey should also have an inexpensive auto sector. The government will provide interest-free loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which do exports, he said. Touching on recent international economic woes, he added, "As long as Turkey`s economic development trend continues, income growth and demand will keep rising. This means the automotive sector won`t face any dramatic contractions in the future." /Sabah/
IN AFYONKARAHISAR, CHP`S BAYKAL LASHES OUT AT ERDOGAN
Speaking in the town of Kemerkaya, Afyonkarahisar, main opposition Republican People`s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking about allegations of corruption concerning ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Saban Disli, Baykal said, "The AKP won more votes in last year`s general elections, but they couldn`t follow through." He added, "Turkey is worried about its future. Using his business connections in Istanbul, the premier`s right-hand man got $1 million. And the prime minister says, `I will do a clean hands operation.` Physician, heal yourself." /Cumhuriyet/
BAHCELI: "BRIBERY, EMBEZZLEMENT, AND FAVORITISM ARE LIKE A CANCER EATING AWAY AT SOCIETY"
Although public services is being provided effectively in many areas, certain notorious cases have enabled embezzlement and bribery to cast a shadow over all public administration, said opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli yesterday. Speaking at an opening ceremony in Kastamonu, Bahceli added that bribery, embezzlement, and favoritism are like a cancer which has destroyed entire societies. "At some times, unfortunately, our country has suffered grievously from this illness, and still has yet to recover from it," he said. "Neither our nation nor its leaders should ignore it when someone is trying to spread these illnesses to society at large." /Aksam/