BABACAN: "TURKEY WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST COUNTRIES TO RECOVER FROM THE CRISIS"
In opening remarks at the Seventh International Finance Summit in Istanbul yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said, "In the '90s, state banks always had liquidity and capital deficits, while today they possess fewer non-performing loans than the sector average. This is testimony to the impressive development of the economic understanding in Turkey." Stressing the role the Turkish financial system's structural strength should play in keeping the nation's economy stable during times of crisis, Babacan said, "All of the relevant institutions put forward measures in a timely matter, and these measures are the reason our financial system is so strong." Babacan said Turkey would be one of the first countries to emerge from the global economic crisis but also stressed the importance of the European economy in this process. "Europe is recovering at a slower pace than global trends," he said. "Next year we expect Europe to achieve near-zero growth. This is especially relevant for Turkey, because Europe is an important export market. The faster Europe recovers, the faster our economy will recover." Babacan said that although some of Turkey's problems originated from external economic developments, many arose from internal crises. Speaking on the importance of confidence in the economy, Babacan stated that production, consumption and investment are all elusive without confidence. Babacan said he expects employment to increase, with a small drop in unemployment next year. "Firms are holding back on hiring and are trying to boost efficiency," he said. "If there is no global recovery in employment, however, then there will be a delay in the recovery of consumption. We therefore need to focus on increasing employment globally." He added, "Even with a great crisis of this magnitude and even though Turkey's exports and consumption have shrunk, Turkey has emerged from this crisis as one of the least-affected nations. From this point on we will act with caution, but also have unwavering faith in Turkey's future." Also speaking at the meeting, Ersin Ozince, the president of the Turkish Banks Association (TBB) and IsBank, highlighted that Turkey's potential has not changed due to the crisis and that the 2 billion people living in the region still need the country's entrepreneurial leadership. /Today's Zaman/
DAVUTOGLU SPEAKS WITH IAEA'S ELBARADEI ABOUT IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday had a telephone conversation with Mohammed El Baradei, the outgoing head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, and discussed Iran's nuclear program, the Foreign Ministry said. Davutoglu told ElBaradei, chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), about talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as well as his meeting with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki, ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said. He said Davutoglu shared his observations from meetings he, President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had with Ahmadinejad and Mottaki, in Istanbul this week during an economic summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). ElBaradei and Davutoglu had a comprehensive exchange of views, Ozugergin said, also underlining that ElBaradei offered "some technical details" as well. He said Turkish officials would keep in touch with ElBaradei. ElBaradei recently said he proposed Turkey as a third-country destination to send Iran's enriched uranium. Tehran has yet to give a full, official reply to the proposal, which was drafted three weeks ago after consultations with Iran, France, Russia and the US. On Monday, Davutoglu said ElBaradei's proposal had been discussed with Ahmadinejad and Mottaki. "We're in a very constructive position with both the IAEA and Iran," Davutoglu said then. On Wednesday, the US State Department expressed support for the IAEA proposal. The Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday announced Russia's support for El Baradei's offer, saying that they expect Iran to positively respond to the IAEA. Iran had earlier rejected a proposal for the uranium to be sent to Russia. Speaking to reporters in Istanbul this week, Ahmadinejad declined to comment directly on ElBaradei's proposal but added, "We have very good relations with Turkey. We trust each other." /Turkiye/
SENIOR US DIPLOMAT IN ANKARA IN POSSIBLE PREP FOR PM'S WASHINGTON VISIT
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon paid his first official visit Ankara yesterday to discuss common interests and possibilities for cooperation in light of regional developments. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu received Gordon. This visit is reportedly preparation for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's trip to Washington early next month to meet with President Barack Obama. /Hurriyet Daily News/
US RADIOLOGISTS TO BE TRAINED IN ISTANBUL
Speaking at a congress held by the Turkish Radiology Association in Istanbul, Vikram S. Dogra, an author and radiology professor at New York's University of Rochester Medical Center, yesterday said that monitoring systems and facilities are now being developed in Turkey. He added that radiologists from the US would be trained in Istanbul through a program with Hacettepe University. /Aksam/
CONTEMPORARY TURKISH ART ON DISPLAY IN BERLIN
An important part of the Istanbul Modern's permanent collection is being displayed at Martin Gropius-Bau, Berlin's most prestigious art destination, in line with a Next Wave project. Under the Istanbul Modern's cooperation with Akademie der Kunste, one of Berlin's premiere art institutions, for the first time a modern, contemporary museum collection from Turkey has come to a European capital. On display are many pieces by contemporary artists, including Ibrahim Calli, Sarkis, Zeki Kocamemi, Taner Ceylan, Nejat Melih Devrim, and Gulsun Karamustafa. /Hurriyet/