AT PRESIDENTIAL SAILING RACE, GUL WARNS AGAINST GROWING TANKER TRAFFIC ON ISTANBUL STRAIT
In a ceremony at the Istanbul Sailing Club (IYK) in the city's Fenerbahce district, President Abdullah Gul yesterday officially started the Second Presidential Sailing Races. Speaking at the ceremony, Gul lamented how although Turkey is surrounded on three sides by water, Turks are not known as a seafaring or sea-loving people. Praising the IYK's efforts to change this situation, Gul said everyone should do their part to popularize the sea and sports among the people. "Football enjoys great popularity in Turkey, but there are other good sports," Gul said, praising how volleyball and basketball have gotten more interest in recent years. "Turkey is set to host World Basketball Championship, and I hope other sports will continue to attract greater popular attention." Gul also highlighted the growing threat from the ever-increasing petroleum tanker traffic on the Bosporus. Despite legal obstacles to taking action to reduce that traffic, environmental awareness, people's respect for the environment, and their sense of responsibility can help address problems that the law cannot, Gul said, calling on non-governmental organizations, environmental groups, and media outlets to be more sensitive to environmental issues. Gul also received an honorary IYK membership. /Sabah/
AT FAST-BREAKING DINNER FOR FOREIGN ENVOYS, ERDOGAN URGES MORE ACTIVE INTL STAND AGAINST TERRORISM
There is no axis shift or route deviation in Turkish foreign policy, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a fast-breaking dinner hosted by his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) yesterday, urging the international community to stand with Turkey in full solidarity with its fight against terrorism to ensure security and stability in both Europe and the region. The dinner was attended by many parliamentary deputies and government officials, foreign ambassadors serving in Turkey, leaders of various religious communities, and international and domestic journalists. Speaking to the assembled guests, Erdogan again dismissed claims of an axis shift in Turkish foreign policy, which gained fresh momentum after Turkey voted against new sanctions on Iran at the UN Security Council, and its strong reaction to Israel's May 31 aid flotilla raid which left nine Turkish peace activists dead. "Turkey's foreign policy direction hasn't changed," he said. "Any deviation from Turkey's path is equally out of the question. We're only in a position that requires us to be proactive in our region as well as to solve chronic regional issues through consultation and to see dialogue and communication as the only way out of all kinds of problems in our region." Stating that the model partnership and strategic cooperation between Turkey and its longtime ally the US are continuing in many areas, Erdogan said, "Turkey, whose face is directed towards the West, is insistently called on to turn its back on the East. But Turkey's government is open to all four corners of the world." On Turkey's European Union aspirations, Erdogan said its EU accession bid is a strategic goal and state policy for Turkey, adding that a major constitutional reform package set to face a referendum next month would be a great step forward in Turkey's efforts to align itself with EU criteria. Erdogan said the package will change the structure of several important judicial bodies, raising the level of the Turkish judiciary to that of developed countries. Erdogan also asked Turkey's European friends to support reform efforts to bring Turkey closer to the EU, making its institutions equivalent to their European counterparts. Calling for all needless obstacles to Turkey's EU path to be swept aside, Erdogan urged the EU to adopt a constructive determination to solve the Cyprus issue. "We want a just and lasting solution to the Cyprus issue by year's end," he said. "Efforts to solve it can't continue forever." Turning to Israel's flotilla raid, Erdogan said Turkey's demands from Israel concerning the raid remain in place. "Israel must accept its fault, apologize, and pay compensation to families of the raid victims," he said. "We'll continue to pursue Israel meeting these conditions." Decrying the terrorist PKK's escalating violence in the runup to next month's referendum, Erdogan said, "The terrorist group, which enjoys international support, is severely disturbed by Turkey integrating itself with EU institutions, becoming more democratic, and making record economic progress. We see the PKK's increasing terrorist attacks as an attempt to sabotage the referendum process." Stating that the terrorist PKK is a threat to not only Turkey's security but also the security of Europe and the region, Erdogan urged the international community to take a more genuinely active and determined stance based on concrete steps against the PKK, which he said is acting as a proxy for certain foreign powers. /Sabah, Turkiye/
TURKEY SETS UP OWN PROBE INTO FLOTILLA RAID
Soon after a UN probe of Israel's deadly May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla began on Tuesday, Ankara announced that it has established its own national commission to investigate the raid in order to submit a report to the UN panel. The Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Wednesday, said that a committee led by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Interior Minister Besir Atalay had already been established to investigate the attack by Israeli security forces on the Gaza humanitarian aid convoy, which took place in international waters and ended with the killing of eight Turks and one Turkish-American. In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met on Tuesday with the four-member panel probing the flotilla incident as they sat down to map out the investigation. Ban stressed during the meeting that the panelists "should seek the fullest cooperation of the national authorities" as they carry out their work. The first progress report from the panel is scheduled to be delivered by Sept. 15. In related news, state inspectors have found around 250 bullet marks on the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship attacked by Israeli commandos in the incident. Media reports said investigators found the marks had been painted over while the ship was held in Israel after the raid. A report is expected to be sent to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in two to three weeks. Investigators collected around 180 pieces of evidence from the ships, including bloody clothes. The 12-member investigative team includes four engineers and two divers who examined the underside of the ship. /Today's Zaman/
PM CALLS FOR MORE HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
Turkey should build more dams and hydroelectric plants to reduce the country's dependence on foreign energy, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday in the Black Sea province of Rize. Speaking at the inauguration of Rize's Cevizlik hydroelectric power plant, Erdogan said Turkey's energy demands have grown with the rise of both manufacturing and consumption in the country. Erdogan added that they hope to boost annual energy production to 82 billion KWH, thus realizing 90 percent of Turkey's potential. /Hurriyet Daily News/
CHIEF NEGOTIATOR BAGIS CALLS ON EU TO FULFILL ITS OBLIGATIONS TO TURKEY
State Minister and Chief European Union talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis on Wednesday called on the EU to fulfill its obligations towards Turkey, in a letter published in The Times of London. Responding to comments made by British MPs Martin Packard and Lord Hylton, Bagis said that the two were not only unaware of the EU's principles, but also recent developments in Turkey and Ankara's policies. On the Cyprus issue, the letter highlighted how in 2004, the Turkish Cypriots agreed to the UN plan to reunify the island while the Greek Cypriots rejected it. He also argued that Turkey had made impressive reforms in recent years, including a constitutional amendment package set for a referendum next month and laws expanding rights and freedoms. /Aksam/
ENERGY MINISTER: "TURKEY WILL CONTINUE POWER PROJECTS WITH IRAN"
Turkey will support oil sales by Turkish companies to Iran, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz told Reuters on Wednesday, despite US sanctions that aim to squeeze the Islamic republic's fuel imports. The pledge came ahead of an expected resumption of talks next month between world powers and Tehran over its nuclear program, which Washington suspects aims to develop atomic weapons. "If the preference of the private sector is to sell these (petroleum) products to Iran, we will help them. There is no demand for Turkey to halt the trade of these products with Iran," Yildiz said in an interview. The sale of petrol, as well as other projects Turkey is planning with Iran, may indicate a shift in its energy policy to give priority to its energy-rich neighbors in the Middle East over conditions set by its traditional Western allies. Any firms that sell gasoline to Iran could face retribution, including a possible ban from accessing the US financial system or denial of US contracts, according to the US Treasury. Tupras, Turkey's sole refiner and gasoline exporter, which is owned by Koc Holding, buys 33 percent of its crude from Iran. /Today's Zaman/
BRITISH CONSUL: "TURKEY AND UK WILL BENEFIT FROM CLOSER RELATIONS"
Turkey and the United Kingdom will both benefit from closer commercial and political relations over the next five years, said UK Consul General in Istanbul Jessica Hand in an interview published today. "Turkey is likely to become a top world economy, and the second-largest economy after the UK in the European Union in 30 or 40 years' time," said Hand, adding that this growth can benefit the economies of both countries. Last month Prime Minister Erdogan hailed a "golden age" in Turkish-British relations,, in remarks later reiterated by his British counterpart David Cameron during his first official visit to Turkey. Cameron's comments show a "commitment to a dynamic commercial relationship," said Hand, saying that with its young population, entrepreneurial spirit and rising educational standards, Turkey makes an attractive market for the UK. /Hurriyet Daily News/
CAGLAYAN REBUFFS CLAIMS OF "ELECTION ECONOMY" AFTER DELAY IN FISCAL RULE
State Minister for Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan yesterday rejected allegations that the government will go on a spending spree ahead of next year's general elections, after Parliament delayed passage of a new fiscal discipline rule designed to protect fiscal policies from political influence and populism. Turkey has in practice been following a fiscal rule successfully for years without any legislation, Caglayan told reporters, citing as proof the rate of public debt to gross domestic product (GDP), which now stands at 45 percent, and the rate of budget deficit to GDP at 5 percent. "Turkey sees elections every one or two years," he said. "But the government has never engaged in populist economic policies before any of these elections. If it had, we could never have achieved our current economic figures." Caglayan stressed that the delay in fiscal rule legislation until after Parliament's summer recess will not mean a spending spree ahead of general elections. /Today's Zaman/