TURKEY EYES GREATER SHARE IN WORLD YATCHING TOURISM
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the D-Marin, a marina constructed by Dogus Holding in Didim town of the Aegean resort city of Aydin yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish economy was making a rapid recovery from the global economic crisis, adding that the end of the crisis was in sight. Stating that they aimed to make Turkey one of the 10 biggest economies of the world by 2023 by preserving the atmosphere of stability and confidence in the country, Erdogan said that Turkey's economy would leap forward, when the government's democratic initiative for the southeastern Anatolia is realized. The government recently announced that it would soon introduce a package of democratic measures to solve the country's longstanding so-called Kurdish or southeastern Anatolia issue by expanding the democratic and cultural rights of citizens with the Kurdish origin. Interior Minister Besir Atalay, who is also government coordinator for the democratic initiative, has been holding talks with political parties and non-governmental organizations to reach a comprehensive consensus before details of the planned initiative are announced by Erdogan by the end of this year. As part of these talks, Atalay met with Chief of General Staff Ilker Basbug yesterday. Calling the continuity of the atmosphere of confidence, stability, tranquility and peace as vital to the nation's economic well-being, Erdogan said, "Investments have been continuing in western and northern regions of the country and some parts of the south. However, unfortunately, the entrepreneurs can not invest in the east and the southeast because of lack of stability and confidence there." Erdogan also said that a new arrangement would be introduced soon for the Turkish ships carrying foreign flags. As part of the ceremony, Dogus Holding Board Chairman Ferit Sahenk presented Premier Erdogan a plaque. The new marina is expected to further improve the rising yachting tourism in Turkey in recent years. Turkey earns $3.5 billion from yachting tourism annually, 16 percent of the total tourism income. This figure is predicted to hit one-third of the overall tourism revenue within 5 years. /Turkiye/
NATO'S RASMUSSEN TO VISIT TURKEY
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is set to visit Turkey next week at the invitation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which will be the first official visit after Washington in his new post. Rasmussen is reportedly set to attend a fast-breaking dinner given by Erdogan in Istanbul. Afterwards, he will meet with President Abdullah Gul and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara. It is expected to become clear who will be appointed as Turkish deputy general secretary in NATO during his visit. After completing his visit to Turkey, Rasmussen will proceed to Greece and other European capitals. /Star/
DAVUTOGLU URGES ISRAEL TO SHOW ITS WILL FOR PEACE ACTING MORE RESPONSIBLY
Speaking at a joint press conference following meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said if Israel really favors peace in the Middle East, it should act in a more responsible manner and clearly show that it has such a desire for peace. "Israel has to act in a much more responsible manner, particularly on the issue of settlers, in other fields and finally on the developments in East Jerusalem. And if there really is a will for peace, time has come for Israel to display this clearly," Davutoglu said. Ankara has been closely following the efforts exerted by US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, Davutoglu noted, adding, however, that Israel's showing its will for peace is required in order to reach concrete results through these efforts. Pledging Turkey's continuing support to efforts for maintaining regional stability, Davutoglu stressed that upcoming few months would be particularly critical for the region due to presidential and parliamentary elections to be held in Palestine and parliamentary elections in neighboring Iraq. If expectations that have been raised in the region since US President Barack Obama's approach to the region are met, elections in the two the countries would be helpful for a regional conjuncture, Davutoglu said. Yet, unless Fatah and Hamas, Palestinian rival factions, can reach reconciliation, the absence of Palestinian unity would not only damage Palestinians, but also create negative impacts all over the region, he added. Jordanian Foreign Minister Judeh was also received by President Abudllah Gul at the Cankaya Presidential Palace, and submitted to Gul a written message from King Abdullah II of Jordan on the Middle East peace. In his message, King Abdullah said the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the return of Palestinian refugees to their country are of great importance for the establishment of peace in the region, urging the rival Palestinian groups to come together immediately. He said Jordan places great importance on Turkey's efforts to secure peace in the Middle East, and will continue exerting coordinated endeavors with Turkey towards this end. He also invited President Gul to Jordan. /Sabah/
RUSSIA CALLS OFF FULL INSPECTIONS OF TURKISH GOODS AT BORDER GATES
Russia has sent an official letter to the Customs Undersecretariat to announce that it has ended a controversial policy of heightened inspection of trucks carrying Turkish exports passing through Russian border gates. Stringent inspections of Turkish goods had been taking place since August 2008 and had sparked a very negative reaction from Turkish businessmen, whose deliveries were delayed by up to 45 days due to the inspections. Hayati Yazici, the state minister responsible for customs, publicized the letter yesterday in a press meeting in Ankara and said commercial relations with Russia had finally returned to normal. The thorny customs affair between Turkey and Russia has been occupying the agenda of the related institutions, exporters and the public, he said, pointing out that the government had long exerted efforts, including an intensified wave of diplomatic negotiations with Russian officials, to sort out the problem. Despite talks between the officials of the two nations, the problem remained unresolved, Yazici noted. However, a memorandum of understanding signed during the most recent meeting between the prime ministers of both countries, which resulted in major energy deals, contributed significantly to finding a workaround for the impasse. One article of this memorandum included the removal of procedures applied specifically to products of Turkish origin, Yazici underlined. /Today's Zaman/
BRITAIN APPOINTS NEW AMBASSADOR TO ANKARA
The British government has appointed David Reddaway as the chief of its permanent diplomatic mission to Ankara. Reddaway is set to replace Ambassador Nick Baird, who has been serving in Turkey since 2006. Reddaway, the former British ambassador to Dublin, is set to present his credentials later this month. Britain's new ambassador to Ankara also served as special envoy to Afghanistan in 2002. /Today's Zaman/
TURKISH STUDENT WINS STOCKHOLM WATER PRIZE
An 18-year-old Turkish student won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize for her study on generating electricity from raindrops. Young students from 29 nations competed at the World Water Week forum held in Stockholm, where they presented their projects on water. Ceren Burcak Dag from Turkey won the 2009 prize with her innovative method for generating energy through piezoelectric pulses from falling raindrops. /Hurriyet Daily News/