URGING APPROVAL OF REFORM PACKAGE IN SUNDAY'S REFERENDUM, ERDOGAN STRESSES THAT ADVANCED DEMOCRACY PAVES THE WAY FOR ADVANCED ECONOMY
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received board members of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM), led by TIM head Mehmet Buyukeksi, at his office in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Buyukeksi said that they told Erdogan about the general outlook of Turkey's exports, and the adverse impact of the overvalued Turkish lira on the country's trade abroad. They told him they expect the Central Bank to avoid risks posed by the lira's high value, he said, adding that they will meet with Erdogan again after the Ramadan Holiday to discuss a push by TIM to bring Turkey's exports to $500 billion by 2023, the centenary of the republic. Calling their meeting very fruitful, Buyukeksi said, "Premier Erdogan listened carefully to our requests and took notes. He especially noted our wishes regarding interest rates." Erdogan shares TIM's view that Turkey's further growth, increasing employment, and boosting industrial production are directly proportional to raising the country's exports, he added. In related news, speaking in a televised interview yesterday, Erdogan said an advanced democracy will enable Turkey to reach an advanced economy. Stating that democracy and the economy are parallel concepts, Erdogan said, "If we achieve an advanced democracy, we also achieve an advanced economy. This is because democracy and economy go hand in hand." On this Sunday's referendum on a major constitutional reform package, Erdogan said, "Global capital is waiting to see the outcome of the Sept. 12 vote before entering Turkey. The referendum will be a signal flare for international investors, if it produces a positive outcome." Turkey is currently among the most reliable countries for foreign direct investment, said Erdogan, but warned that investors could decide against Turkey if the reforms are rejected. "They're waiting to see the outcome," he said, adding that passage of the reforms could lead to an upsurge in investment. In other news, Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun predicted that Turkey's growth this year would hit 6 percent or just above. Total industrial production rose 8.6 percent in July year-on-year, the Turkish Statistics Institute (Turkstat) announced yesterday. /Sabah/
ICG URGES INTL COMMUNITY TO ABANDON "SIMPLISTIC CLICHÉS" ABOUT TURKEY AND ITS FOREIGN POLICY
A leading Brussels-based think-tank is calling on the international community to abandon jargon and "simplistic clichés" to better understand Turkey's foreign policy. The US and European Union states should put aside clichés about Turkey "turning East," "joining an Islamist bloc," or "turning its back on the West," it said. "Turkey's new foreign engagement has been first and foremost economic, with Christian and Muslim countries in Eurasia, the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East alike," the International Crisis Group (ICG) said in a draft report expected to be released in Brussels today. "The bulk of Turkey's trade and investment, its social, popular and educational connections, and the source of its intellectual and economic innovation all remain inextricably linked to EU states and the US." The ICG, which has published many reports about Turkey, underlined that Turkey shares most of its Western partners' goals in the Middle East, such as halting nuclear weapons proliferation in the region, including Iran; a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that respects the full rights of both parties; and the elimination of al-Qaeda. But the report also urges Ankara to better formulate and present its foreign policy. "It should find more ways to speak out for these common objectives. At the same time, its Western partners should recognize that due to geography and history, Turkey will reasonably pursue them at times with its own tactics and methodology," says the draft report. The ICG also gave Ankara suggestions for better explaining its foreign policy moves and goals to the international community. "Ankara can achieve more through a good working relationship with the EU and the US than if it tries to forge ahead alone," it said. "The government and public opinion should avoid presuming, as they sometimes seem tempted, that the US needs Turkey more than it needs Israel, or that having a personal relationship with President Barack Obama can substitute policy. Even though Turkey is clearly becoming a stronger international player, cooperation with Washington and EU convergence are keys to its regional prominence and have contributed to its economic growth, boom in trade with neighbors and improved respect for human rights, as well as Istanbul's growing reputation as a glamorous regional hub." Calling for Turkey to tone down "heated rhetoric" over Israel so as to regain its ability to speak with confidence to all parties in its region, the IGC also urged the US and EU member states to back UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's four-person probe of the May 31 Israeli raid that led to the current tensions with Turkey. According to the ICG, "Israel should work to normalize its important relationship with Turkey, including, if its soldiers are found to have used excessive force or committed crimes, by prosecuting suspects, and finding ways to give Turkey satisfaction in the matter." Rejecting claims that its foreign policy has seen an axis shift, Ankara has constantly stated that the Cold War is over and foreign policy is not a zero-sum game. /Today's Zaman/
YILIDIZ URGES EU TO OPEN ENERGY CHAPTER TO NEGOTIATIONS
It is no longer sustainable for the European Union to block the opening of the energy chapter in accession negotiations with Turkey for political reasons, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said yesterday. Stating that the EU has no option other than opening the chapter, Yildiz said, "This issue shouldn't be politicized. There's no technical obstacle to opening this chapter. Right now, Turkey's electricity and natural gas systems and networks are technically integrated with those of EU." In related news, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberger said that Turkey should be allowed into the EU if it meets all the accession criteria. "A promise must be kept" if Turkey does its part, he told the New York Times. Pointing to the soaring numbers of migrants in various European countries, particularly Turkish migrants in Germany, since the 1950s, Schwarzenberger also said European needs more time to adapt to this situation. In other news, in his state of the union address to the European Parliament yesterday, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barrosso urged EU member countries to adopt reforms to tackle the economic crisis, but many MEPs criticized the commission for failing to integrate Turkey into the EU, saying this could have avoided the crisis with Greece. "If Turkey had been integrated into the EU, the economic crisis in Greece wouldn't have happened," said Daniel Cohn-Bendit, co-chair of the EP's Greens. "Greece spent _50 billion on arms over the last decade due to Turkish-Greek conflict. The EU could have put an end to this conflict by admitting Turkey into the Union, thus helping Greece cut arms spending." /Sabah, Hurriyet/
BOOSTED BY 4 BLN EURO LOAN, NABUCCO PIPELINE TO BE FUNCTIONAL BY 2015
Three leading international financial institutions are preparing to loan a potential _4 billion to the Nabucco pipeline project - a project that aims to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian energy supplies and could make Turkey an indispensable energy route for its neighbors. In order for the much-awaited project to begin, officials from the European Union, European Investment Bank (EIB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) - a World Bank Group affiliate - met in Brussels on Monday where they signed a letter of authorization for the large loans. Under the agreement, the Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH and its partners - including the Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) and the three financial institutions, the EIB, the EBRD and the IFC - will provide loans to the project of up to _2 billion, _1.2 billion and _800 million, respectively. Speaking at a press conference following a ceremony formalizing the deal, Reinhard Mitschek, managing director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International, said an important step had been taken. He added that he expects the loans to be approved next year and that he hopes the pipeline will be able to carry 18 billion cubic meters of Azeri and Iraqi natural gas to Europe by late 2014 or early 2015. Additional supplies from producer countries in the region, including Turkmenistan and Egypt, could also be transported in later years, Mitschek added. Also speaking to reporters, BOTAS General Director Fazil Senel elaborated on the significance of Monday's agreement and on the project's possible benefits to Turkey. He said Turkey is one of the masterminds of the Nabucco pipeline, also known as the "Turkey-Austria gas pipeline." "We're supporting every step necessary for the project's completion," he said. "Today's signatures provide proof of the contributions these three important financial institutions will make. It is an important step for realization of the project. Seventy-five percent of the Nabucco pipeline will be on Turkish soil - and it will make substantial contributions to the places it passes through. Our producers, industrialists and our people will benefit from the project." The 3,300-kilometer project will have an annual capacity of 31 billion cubic meters of gas and is expected to cost _7.9 billion. If it becomes fully operational, the project will meet 5 percent of Europe's annual energy demand, which is expected to reach 600 billion cubic meters by 2020. /Today's Zaman/
EU DATA: TURKS LARGEST FOREIGN COMMUNITY IN EUROPE IN 2009
Turkish citizens were the largest group of non-European Union citizens living in the EU at the start of 2009, the EU statistics office said Tuesday. In total, 31.9 million foreigners were recorded in the 27-member bloc at the beginning of 2009, or 6.4 percent of the total EU population, said Eurostat. The largest contingent of foreigners chose Germany as home - 7.2 million people - followed by Spain with 5.7 million. But the country with the highest percentage of foreigners was tiny Luxembourg with 44 percent, followed by Latvia (18 percent), and Greek Cyprus and Estonia (16 percent). Of the total number of foreigners, 11.9 million (2.4 percent) were citizens of another EU state, and 19.9 million (4 percent) came from countries outside the EU - Africa (4.9 million), Asia (4 million), and the American continent (3.3 million). Citizens of Turkey were the largest group of non-EU citizens with 2.4 million or 8 percent, followed by Morocco (1.8 million, 6 percent) and Albania (1 million, 3 percent). /Hurriyet Daily News/
ISTANBUL SET TO HOST TOP-LEVEL FINANCE MEETING
The Istanbul Finance Summit (IFS) set to be held in Istanbul late this month will feature some of the most important figures of the global financial world from North America, Europe, the Gulf region and East Asia. The first IFS on Sept 28-30 will be inaugurated at the prime ministerial level and will bring together top leaders in the banking, corporate finance and project finance sectors as speakers. The IFS is designed to provide an annual platform for discussion of the current state and future directions throughout the world, Dr. Murat Yulek, who heads IFS' advisory board, said at a press conference yesterday. "With the devastating effects of the global crisis, well-known world financial centers such as London have started to lose their power and dynamism," he added. As such, new cities such as Paris, Shanghai and Istanbul are vying to become new financial centers, he said. "For example Davos, a small town in Switzerland, has managed to attract world leaders, opinion makers, and top economists every year. I believe that Istanbul, with its long history as one of the most attractive centers of trade and economy, could be the world's new financial center." He added, "The IFS could turn into the new global meeting for discussion of world financial issues." Among top figures set to speak at the event are Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Brazilian Central Bank Deputy Governor Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva, Germany Federal Financial Supervisory Authority President Jochen Sanio, and Yale University economist Robert Shiller. /Hurriyet Daily News/
1,001 INVENTIONS SHOW DRAWS RECORD CROWDS IN ISTANBUL
A show spotlighting scientific innovations from Muslim civilizations, currently on view at Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square, has drawn a record number of visitors since opening last month, marking a new breakthrough for a public exhibit in Istanbul, news agencies reported Tuesday. Titled "1,001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in Our World," the interactive exhibit attracted 100,000 visitors within its first 12 days of opening on Aug. 18 in a tent in front of the historic Hagia Sophia Museum, where it will remain on view until Oct. 5, the Anatolia news agency said. Commissioned by the UK-based Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilization, the traveling show is aimed at highlighting the Golden Age of Muslim civilization, an era that lasted from the eighth to the 13th centuries, during which advances in engineering, medicine and architecture laid the groundwork for Western progress from the Renaissance until modern times. "1001 Inventions" opened earlier this year in the UK, where it had a successful run at the Science Museum in London, drawing 400,000 visitors. When it completes its seven-week stay in Istanbul, the show will move to the New York Hall of Science. The exhibit's Istanbul stint, which is admission-free, last month was estimated by the Associated Press to draw around 6,000 visitors daily. /Today's Zaman/
FACING SLOVENIA IN WORLD BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, TURKEY COULD MAKE HISTORY TONIGHT
The "12 Giant Men," the popular nickname for the men's Turkish national basketball team, are set to take on Slovenia in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship this evening at Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Dome. Turkey, which finished sixth at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, has never made it to a Worlds Final Four, so the 12 Giant Men could make history today by eliminating the Slovenians and advancing to the semis. The Turks first defeated African representative Cote d'Ivoire (86-47) in the group stage, followed by Russia (65-56), Greece (76-65), Puerto Rico (79-77) and China (87-40) to emerge as the Group C leaders. The 12 Giant Men continued in the same vein in the Round of 16, trouncing France 95-77 on Sunday night and sending the French team home. /Today's Zaman/