PARLIAMENT DEBATE OF DEMOCRATIC INITIATIVE TO CONTINUE TOMORROW
Debate between the government and the opposition over the democratic initiative is likely to continue tomorrow, this time with the participation of party leaders. Debate over the initiative by the full Parliament began on Tuesday. Interior Minister Besir Atalay hinted that more information about the plan will be given during the second round of the debate. /Hurriyet Daily News/
EU NEGOTIATOR MEETS WITH BELARUS DELEGATION
State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU Talks Egemen Bagis yesterday received Gennady Novitsky, chairperson of the Belarusian-Turkish Parliamentary Friendship Group in Ankara. Bagis said that he earlier visited Belarus, and was impressed with the country's development. Noting that a new deal was recently signed between the nations, Novitsky said that they were cooperating both in the international area and the European Union. /Hurriyet Daily News/
GERMAN DELEGATION HOLDS TALKS IN PARLIAMENT
A delegation from the German state of Hesse had talks in Ankara yesterday. Hesse Prime Minister Roland Koch met with Murat Mercan, the chairman of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. Mercan said he believed that cooperation and friendly ties between Turkey and Germany would continue developing in the years to come. In related news, Koch also met with Chief Negotiator for EU Talks Egemen Bagis. /Hurriyet Daily News-Sabah/
US ANALYST: "TURKEY IS NOW A GLOBAL POWER, AND THE WEST MUST REALIZE THIS"
Turkey is no longer a "loyal ally" of the West, but though it no longer pursues Western foreign policy prescriptions, the West will benefit from Turkey's actions on the international stage, said Graham Fuller, former deputy chairman of US Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) National Intelligence Council (NIC), this week. Speaking to the BBC Turkish Service, Fuller said he agreed with US journalist Stephen Kinzer that Turkey can go places where the US can't, can talk to people the US can't, and can make deals that the US is unable to. "We can't just say that Turkey can do all this, but we should also say that Turkey has already been doing all this, and will continue." Stating that US foreign policy makers who expect Turkey to act in line with a particular US strategy on a particular issue at any time will be frustrated because they can no longer manipulate Turkish foreign policy directly, Fuller said, "If they manage to act wisely, they will see that such activities carry great importance for setting up genuine, self-developed regional alignments." Stressing that the West has to accept that Turkey has diversified its foreign policy into new horizons, Fuller said, "Turkey is no longer seen a country that represents US interests in its region through NATO. Turkey has interests all across its region. It wisely pursues these interests in light of the geopolitics of the region based on a win-win approach. This policy helps ease and solve some longstanding tensions in the region." Stating that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) appreciates the historic and geopolitical role that the Ottoman Empire played in the region, Fuller added that Turkey's current role extends beyond that of the Ottomans. Fuller also claimed that future Turkish governments would continue the main lines of current AK Party foreign policy. /Turkiye/
OIC SECRETARY-GENERAL IHSANOGLU IN BAKU
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is currently in Baku, Azerbaijan to attend an international conference on dialogue among civilizations to mark the bloc's 40th anniversary. On the sidelines of the conference, Ihsanoglu, who is also a Turkish scholar, was received by Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. They exchanged views on various international and regional issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Afghanistan, and the situation in the Caucasus. Ihsanoglu also congratulated Aliyev on Baku taking the title of Capital of Islamic Culture for 2009. The secretary-general reiterated to Aliyev the OIC's principled and unwavering support for Azerbaijan in the face of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, which led to the occupation by Armenia of around 20 percent of Azeri territory. /Today's Zaman/
ISTANBUL BIENNIAL DREW RECORD VISITORS
The International Istanbul Biennial drew a record number of visitors this year, luring some 101,000 art lovers to its three venues during its two-month run, the event's organizers announced on Tuesday. This year's attendance figures mean a solid success for the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art (IKSV), which has been organizing the biennial since 1987. Visitor numbers at this year's 11th biennial are more than 10 percent higher than the 10th biennial, held in 2007, which itself drew 91,000 visitors, almost double the 51,000 who came to the 2005 event. The biennial also attracted a high level of international interest, according to the IKSV. More than 600 members of the press from 35 countries followed the event, in addition to around 4,000 art professionals, such as critics, curators and museum and art gallery directors from around the world. The 11th biennial, held under the conceptual framework "What Keeps Mankind Alive?" under the curatorship of the Zagreb-based curators collective What, How & for Whom (WHW), featured 141 works of art by 70 artists and artists groups from 40 countries. Turning the city into a platform of contemporary art from Sept. 12 until Nov. 8, the biennial showcased its exhibits at three venues: the old customs warehouse Antrepo No. 3 in Karakoy, the old tobacco warehouse in Tophane, and the Ferikoy Greek School in Sisli, which served as an art space for the first time in its history. Billed as the most comprehensive international art event organized in both Turkey and its region, and considered one of the most prestigious biennials alongside Venice, Sao Paolo and Sydney, the Istanbul Biennial display model enables dialogue between artists and the audience, and offers the work of artists individually instead of in separate pavilions for each country. The biennial thus serves as an opportunity for contemporary artists to be promoted internationally. /Today's Zaman/