WORLD LEADERS CONGRATULATE PM ERDOGAN ON REFERENDUM WIN
Leaders from across the world phoned Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to congratulate him over Sunday's referendum which saw the approval of a government-backed major constitutional reform package, a statement from Erdogan's press office said yesterday. Among the leaders who called Erdogan to express their congratulations to him were US President Barack Obama, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Lebanese Premier Saad al-Hariri and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, the statement said. Also Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani called Erdogan to extend their congratulations. Nearly 58 percent of the people voted in favor of the reform package, which includes key changes to the structure of the country's two important high judicial bodies, as well as amendments to expand rights and freedoms in various areas. /Turkiye/

DIE WELT: TURKEY ON ITS PATH TOWARDS BECOMING A MAJOR POWER
Turkey achieving double-digit growth in wake of this weekend's referendum on a major constitutional reform package, which resulted in an overwhelming approval of the Turkish nation, got broad coverage from foreign media outlets. Calling Turkey the rising country of recent years, German daily Die Welt said Turkey is on its path towards emerging as a major power. "While the EU and the Mediterranean countries suffer from a deep economic crisis, Turkey, with its population approaching 77 million, is rapidly catching up with the prosperity standards of the West," it said. In related news, boosted by private sector investments that flourished at a time of low interest rates, the Turkish economy grew at an annual rate of 10.3 percent in the second quarter, surprising even the most optimistic of economists. The rate, which matched China's as the fastest expansion in the period among Group of 20 members, helped push national economic output above the level it reached before the global crisis hit with full force in late 2008. The increase comes after 11.7 percent growth in the first quarter. The rate of growth compared to the first quarter is at 3.7 percent after seasonal adjustment. With this result, Turkey exceeded $1 trillion of gross domestic product in current prices for the first time in its history. Commenting on Turkey's more than expected growth figures in the second quarter of this year, Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said 10.3 percent growth rate shows Turkey has become one of the most rapidly growing world countries in the post-crisis era. "Growing at the same rate with China in the second quarter of 2010, Turkey became the fastest growing economy among G-20 countries," Babacan said, adding that the government's mid-term economic program announced last year had played a key role in the country's strong economic performance. Stating that domestic demand is the driving force behind Turkey's more than estimated growth figures, Babacan also said, "Turkey's rapid recovery from the global economic crisis are reflected in many economic indicators." Achieving sustainable growth and ensuring permanent employment increase will be their fundamental goals in the coming period. /Sabah, Hurriyet Daily News, Star/

DAVUTOGLU: "TURKISH NATION IS CRAVING FOR MORE DEMOCRACY"
Sunday's approval of constitutional reforms in a nationwide referendum indicates the Turkish nation's will to live in a freer and more democratic environment on compliance with European Union standards, according to the country's foreign minister. "The approval of the amendment package is an important turning point for democracy in Turkey," Ahmet Davutoglu said in a written statement. "The public turnout at the ratio of 77.1 percent is a result of the Turkish nation's interest in the reform process carried out in the light of universal and European norms," he said. The 57.8 percent support for the new charter was important for a number of reasons, Davutoglu said, as it strengthened democracy in Turkey, allowed people's voices to be heard more loudly and showed the entire world that Turkey was making efforts to create a civilian constitution. The foreign minister said the constitutional amendments introduced new rights and launched more powerful mechanisms to protect those rights. He also said the amendments were designed to ensure that Turkey's Constitutional court and its Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors, or HSYK, conformed to the standards set by their counterparts in the democratic world while they limited the jurisdiction of military courts. The implementation of the constitutional reforms would help Turkey largely meet the EU criteria on the negotiation chapter over the judiciary and basic rights, he said, adding the approval of the package would accelerate Turkey's membership process./Hurriyet Daily News/

ITALIAN FM FRATTINI: "ERDOGAN BROUGHT TURKEY CLOSER TO EU"
Commenting on this weekend's referendum in Turkey on a comprehensive constitutional reform package, which resulted in an overwhelming show of support from the Turkish nation, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini called the referendum outcome an important achievement for the Turkish government led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "It is a great success. Prime Minister Erdogan made a significant progress, bringing Turkey closer to the EU," Frattini said. Implying that the approval of the reform package would make the parliamentarian democracy in Turkey stronger, Frattini said, "It's a confidence-inspiring development that it was decided that there would be no place for powers other than the people who elect its own representatives as part of Turkey's democratization process, and that a new constitution would be drafted based on this principle." He also said, "With the referendum outcome, Turkey showed its willingness to make progress on the path towards integrating into the EU." /Star/

US HOPES REFORMS WILL ENHANCE TURKISH DEMOCRACY
US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said the US hopes the reforms Turkey endorsed through a popular referendum on Sunday will further enhance Turkey's democratic process and human rights protection. Crowley said during a daily press briefing on Monday that the referendum was an opportunity for the people of Turkey to have a strong voice in the future direction of their vibrant democracy. "There was a very large turnout," the spokesman said, underlining the importance of the will of the Turkish people. Asked if he disagrees with the claims of secularists that the changes will inhibit the judiciary's ability to "oversee" the executive, Crowley said the approval of the changes was a choice for the Turkish people and that there was a very strong, decisive vote to move towards greater civilian oversight of these democratic institutions. "We respect that statement by the Turkish people. And we hope that the government will, again, use this mandate to deepen democratic processes in Turkey as well as guarantee human rights protections," he said. Asked if the referendum will boost Turkey's EU membership chances, Crowley said the US certainly encourages Turkey's membership in the EU and that he thinks the administration has observed a favorable reaction in Europe to these developments. /Today's Zaman/

ASSAD: "TURKEY'S ROLE `CRUCIAL' TO PEACE TALKS WITH ISRAEL"
Turkey must play a role if peace talks between Syria and Israel are to resume, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has told a French envoy. Assad, speaking to Claude Cousseran, a French presidential envoy entrusted with trying to relaunch negotiations between the two sides, also said on Monday that a peace agreement between Syria and the present Israeli government was "hard to imagine." Assad told Cousseran that any new talks must build on the four rounds of indirect talks that were mediated by Turkey but broke down in the early stages of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip in 2008. In May, relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after Israeli soldiers killed one American-Turkish and eight Turkish civilians onboard an aid ship trying to break the Israeli siege of Gaza. "President Assad affirmed that Syria seeks a just and comprehensive peace and the importance of coordinating with Turkey in this regard," Syria's official news agency said.

EROGLU URGES MORE EU PRESSURE ON GREEK CYPRIOTS TO SOLVE CYPRUS ISSUE
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Dervis Eroglu, who met on Tuesday with Belgian Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere -- whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union -- has said he asked the Belgian minister to take action to facilitate a solution to the Cyprus issue. Eroglu met with Vanackere yesterday in Brussels and called a press conference after the meeting. Stating that he conveyed to the minister the demands of the Turkish side on the Cyprus issue, Erodlu said they exchanged views on talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriots on the island's fate. Eroglu said Vanackere expressed an expectation for a solution to the Cyprus problem. Noting that the Turkish side is also in favor of a solution, Eroglu said a solution is not possible without the efforts of the Greek Cypriots. Recalling that Ankara had lent its full support to a UN reunification plan back in 2004, he said the EU could contribute to the solution if it keeps its 2004 pledge to start direct trade with the TRNC and end the economic isolation of Turkish Cyprus. "The regulation on direct trade is important for us, but ending isolation is more [important]," Eroglu said. Recalling that an EU court ruling in 1994 annulled previous trade links between the then-12 member EU and Turkish Cyprus, Eroglu said restoring this right to the TRNC would contribute to the development of Turkish Cyprus. Noting that the Greek Cypriots are currently working to block the regulation on direct trade currently on the EU's agenda, Eroglu said they both say a solution is needed in Cyprus and try to block every move to facilitate the development of the TRNC. "They are lobbying in Brussels to prevent the regulation's approval in the European Parliament. There is insincerity here. Their actions at the negotiating table are not sincere," Eroglu said.

TURKEY'S GROWTH SIGNALS COMPLETE RECOVERY FROM CRISIS
Following 11.7 percent growth in the previous three months, Turkey's economy grew by 10.3 percent at fixed prices in the second quarter of this year, a development which placed Turkey among the fastest growing economies in the world, and has led analysts to state that this, combined with a steady reduction in the country's unemployment rate, is a sign of Turkey's complete recovery from the impact of the global financial crisis. The Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) announced its quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) data on Monday which showed that Turkey's GDP grew by 10.3 percent at fixed prices in the April-June period this year and outperformed the previously forecast increase of 8.5 percent. With two back-to-back quarters of double digit growth this year, the Turkish economy expanded by 11 percent over the first half of 2010. According to the latest TurkStat figures, Turkey's second quarter growth made it the world's third fastest growing economy for the April-June period - behind Singapore and Taiwan./Today's Zaman/

IRAQ EYES MORE INVESTMENT FROM TURKEY
Turkey should help rebuild Iraq with new investments in energy, construction and banking, according to Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, who visited the Independent Industrialist' and Businessmen's Association, or MUSIAD, in Istanbul Tuesday. After a private meeting with industrialists, al-Hashimi said he had invited the group to invest more in Iraq, like "big brothers," in order to rebuild the infrastructure of the country and launch joint projects. "We need everything in Iraq, without naming them I could easily say that opportunities are there, ready for Turkish businessmen across all sectors. Our banking system works through U.S. banks and I think Iraq needs the expertise and know-how of Turkey to create an efficient banking system. Turkey and Iraq have common goals in the region. Through cooperation, the potential of the region could serve the benefits of both nations," al-Hashimi said. The Iraqi official also said Turkey is active in energy investments in his country. "Turkish companies' expertise and knowledge is significantly important for Iraq. There are already many Turkish companies with investments in hydro energy and oil," he said./Hurriyet Daily News/