GUL HEADS TO UN FOR KEY MEETINGS
With Turkey chairing the United Nations Security Council this month, President Abdullah Gul will travel to New York on Friday to participate in a number of key meetings. Gul's delegation includes Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, Environment Minister Dervis Eroglu, and senior Foreign Ministry officials. Next Thursday the president will chair a summit on peace-building and peacekeeping efforts during a summit that is expected to produce a presidential statement on how the UN could take a more active role. Gul will also address the summit of Least-Developed Countries on Tuesday, which will convene a meeting in Istanbul next year. The president is expected to deliver nine speeches and attend some 20 bilateral meetings. He will also meet with the international press and speak at Columbia University and the Council on Foreign Relations. Davutoglu's New York itinerary includes a meeting on the Middle East and Pakistan, which is struggling to recover from August's devastating floods. The foreign minister will also meet with his counterparts from Black Sea countries and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and is expected to address such subjects as disarmament, Sudan, and mediation efforts to solve international problems. He will also chair a meeting on terrorism at the UN Security Council and deliver a speech at Harvard University. Turkey's temporary seat on the UN Security Council will end on Jan. 1. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ENERGY DIPLOMACY MARKS ISTANBUL'S TURKIC SUMMIT
Energy diplomacy dominated proceedings at this week's meeting of Turkic-speaking countries in Istanbul, despite its declared purpose to foster solidarity in the Turkic world. The energy ministers of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey held three-way talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the event about the Caspian region, natural gas pipelines, and energy projects, including the European Union-backed multinational Nabucco project to get Caspian or Middle Eastern gas to Europe. The status of the Caspian Sea is a bone of contention between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan which has prevented the Nabucco project from securing potential stocks of natural gas. The presidents of the two countries, however, gave peaceful messages during the press conference. "We have a common history and culture with Azerbaijan. Muslims always support their neighbors. We have no intention of spoiling our friendly relations with Azerbaijan," Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said. "It is clear that this issue will be discussed for decades. We want to solve this problem based on international agreements," he said, referring to a commission established to determine the status of the Caspian. "We have high-level relations with Turkmenistan," said Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. "We solve major disputes in cooperation. We are friends. We should share both the natural gas and the oil." Despite the positive steps with Azerbaijan, Berdimuhamedov refused to sign a document establishing a Turkic council, one of the major points of the summit. In addition to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan also chose not to join the council. Turkmenistan, which has not yet declared whether it will join Nabucco, gave positive signals yesterday but declined to commit to a specific amount of natural gas. "We're building an east-west pipeline that will reach the Caspian. Nabucco is about this," said Berdimuhamedov. "It is a reality that there is gas. We are pursuing an open policy about gas. Today we are supplying gas to Russia, China and Iran." A long-planned 1,043-mile east-west pipeline, named TAPI after the initials of the four participating countries - Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India - would move gas from the Turkmen Dauletabad gas field to consumers in Pakistan and India after transiting Afghanistan. The energy ministers of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India will meet on Monday to discuss the pipeline, and the presidents will convene in December. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ERDOGAN PLEDGES TO AVOID DEMAGOGIC SPENDING IN RUNUP TO NEXT YEAR'S GENERAL ELECTIONS
There will be no "election economy" for demagogic effect in the runup to next year's general elections, pledged Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. "We will in no way make concessions on this matter," Erdogan told a meeting of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO), adding that he had ordered economic officials to keep strict fiscal discipline. Turkey last month posted a $3.1 billion budget surplus, he said. Stating that his government has held firm on not sacrificing the economy to political gain, Erdogan said, "On the contrary, we made trust in a stable politics the driving force behind the economy. We completely reversed the relationship between politics and the economy in Turkey which had prevailed before we took office. We never made politics an obstacle or hindrance to the economy but a supporting pillar." Stating that this year Turkey's economy again started to break international records with its higher-than-estimated growth, Erdogan said employment fell back to nearly 10 percent, as projected. Erdogan criticized those who mocked his prediction that Turkey would weather the global economic crisis with minimal damage, saying, "We said Turkey would return to the unemployment level of the pre-crisis period. Recently announced figures show that we did it, and things will get better." Touching on recently announced second quarter growth figures, Erdogan said Turkey has become a $1 trillion economy, and predicted that annual growth this year would total 7 or 8 percent. Touting the stock market's record highs since his party came to power, from 10,000 points in 2002 to 63,000 points today, Erdogan said everyone won under his government. Criticizing the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) for declining to support the government-backed constitutional reform package which passed in a referendum last Sunday, Erdogan said, "It's a great mistake to think that the government should work to improve democracy and make the economy grow but that there's no need to support these efforts. There's no place anymore for such an approach in Turkey." Thanks to Anatolian capital investments, unemployment fell, Erdogan said, urging businesspeople to avoid using the crisis an excuse to shed workers. /Sabah/
DAVUTOGLU: "FOREIGN MEDIATION BETWEEN TURKEY AND ITS CITIZENS IS OUT OF THE QUESTION"
Speaking in a televised interview yesterday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu denied rumors that an Independent Commission on Turkey delegation in Turkey this week led by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari was visiting to engage in mediation regarding the Kurdish issue. Stressing that it would be wrong to attribute special meaning to the commission's visit, Davutoglu said, "Turkey is a country with strong sovereignty and established democratic institutions. We never needed a mechanism like mediation for our domestic issues, and it is out of the question for us to accept such a thing." Calling Ahtisaari a friend of Turkey who views it objectively, Davutoglu said, "This is not the first time Mr. Ahtisaari has visited Turkey and had contact with our society. It is wrong to ascribe such a special meaning to the delegation's visit. Whenever he comes to Turkey he also meets with us. . Turkey is an open and democratic society. Any European academic, politician or anyone can visit Turkey or any part of Turkey. We're not a closed society. Seeing this visit as an extraordinary thing is not right. We should be very open to such things because we have very high self-confidence." Again dismissing the mediation claims, Davutoglu, in strongly worded remarks, said, "Mediation between Turkey and its citizens is out of the question. There can never be a need for mediation between the Turkish Republic and its citizens. We never had and will never have a need for mediation in relation to our domestic issues. It is out of the question for us to accept such a thing." The delegation was also received by President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and met with Chief Negotiator for European Union talks Egemen Bagis. Also Ahtisaari expressed uneasiness over the mediation speculation, saying that they hadn't had talks with only a particular sector of Turkish society but everyone. In its latest report on Turkey, last year the commission expressed confidence that Turkey's further convergence with Europe and its eventual EU membership would bring huge benefits for both the country and the Union. /Sabah/
AZERBAIJAN, TURKEY "UNITE HEARTS" IN KEY DEAL
Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders on Wednesday evening enthusiastically signed a framework agreement to set up a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between the two countries. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev signed the deal in Istanbul on the sidelines of the 10th Summit of Turkic-Speaking Countries. "This is a historic day, and I'm very happy that we are together," said Aliyev at the signing ceremony at Ciragan Palace. "I 'm very glad to be visiting Turkey and am confident that the historic signing today will ensure the further strengthening of ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan." He added, "This ceremony carries great importance. In fact, the document signed today, to some extent, concludes work conducted earlier and defines the further development of our strategic partnership. The creation of the High-Level Strategic Partnership Cooperation Council is not merely an agreement but will help us build together and coordinate our activity in all spheres, and achieve higher results in all fields. This agreement covers all sectors: Political ties which currently are at a high level, trade relations, mutual investment, and cooperation in the energy, oil and gas spheres. Transportation and the cultural and humanitarian sectors are also covered. There's not a single sector falling outside this agreement. This will help us achieve further successful, dynamic, and better-organized progress in Turkish-Azeri ties, greater unification, and the closer cooperation of our peoples." He also said, "This is a legal and, at the same time, very genuine document. This is not merely an agreement between two states. It is a work that unites hearts and peoples and expresses our good intentions. It will make us wealthier and happier." Erdogan hailed the deal as "a lasting document that crowns the unique fellowship" enjoyed by Turkey and Azerbaijan. Citing the shared bilateral motto of "One nation, two states," Erdogan added, "I believe that, thanks to this council mechanism, we will pass on the unwavering Turkey-Azeri friendship and cooperation to future generations." /Today's Zaman/
MAIN OPPOSITION HEAD MEETS WITH EU ENLARGEMENT CHIEF
In his first trip overseas as the head of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu yesterday met with European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule in Brussels to discuss recent events in Turkey. Fule said they had "a very fruitful" meeting, adding that last weekend's referendum approving a constitutional reform package had topped their talks. "I explained to Kilicdaroglu why we had insistently described the constitutional package as step in the right direction," said Fule. "I think that the constitutional amendments will affect Turkey's EU accession drive in a very positive way." Fule said he also stressed that the Turkish government should welcome input when drafting an expected new constitution, adding that commitments made by the Turkish president and prime minister to include all sectors of society in the process had been well received by the EU. Fule said the commission would closely monitor implementation of the amendments approved in the referendum in line with EU standards. /Hurriyet Daily News/
IRANIAN VP: "TEHRAN WILL PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS FOR TURKISH BUSINESSMEN"
Tehran will eliminate all hurdles facing Turkish businessmen doing business in Iran, said Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi yesterday. Speaking at the Turkey-Iran Business Forum organized by Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) in Istanbul, Rahimi said that Tehran is eager to facilitate Turkish business operations in Iran. "We should support this," he explained at the forum, also attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "If you ever encounter a problem in Iran, please don't worry. We will remove all obstacles in line with our President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad's directives. We have no better friend than Turkey in today's world. Turkey indeed is a country of utmost importance for Iran's security, even economically." He added that both sides resolved during Erdogan's visit to Iran last year to boost the trade volume to $30 billion. Erdogan, for his part, said Ankara and Tehran should establish a free trade mechanism similar to the one between Turkey and the European Union. Erdogan added that the two countries should conclude talks on a preferential trade deal as soon as possible and that bilateral trade would reach the $30 billion target within five years./Today's Zaman/
US DIPLOMAT: "SUNDAY'S REFERENDUM SHOWED HOW SUCCESSFULLY DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY WORKS"
Jason Arvey, a diplomat from the US Embassy in Ankara, yesterday praised last Sunday's referendum in Turkey on a government-backed constitutional reform package, which won easily, as evidence of the successful functioning of democracy. "The government's enthusiasm to make necessary adjustments to relevant laws in line with the recently passed constitutional amendments, as well as to respond to the wishes of the people, gives us encouragement," he said. /Turkiye/
AK PARTY BEGINS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST IRAN DONATION STORY
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) yesterday began legal action against Britain's Daily Telegraph over a news story claiming that Iran had donated $25 million to the party. The story was written by Con Coughlin, whose 2002 book "Saddam: King of Terror" was released when the US was trying to convince world leaders to attack Iraq. Immediately after publication of the story, the AK Party denied any truth to it and pledged to take legal action. The AK Party asked the newspaper to remove the story from its website and publish a formal apology, but Coughlin yesterday said he had no intention of withdrawing his allegations. In a written statement, AK Party Deputy Chairman Omer Celik said it was strange that the "utterly baseless" story was trying to justify Israel's attack this May on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid ship, in which nine Turks were killed. Coughlin's report claims that Iran also donated money to Turkey's Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), which organized the aid flotilla. Celik said Coughlin's story tried to paint the IHH as terrorists and link the AK Party to the terrorist PKK, which Turkey has fought for years. "It is also interesting that this story was published right after the (Sunday) referendum in Turkey by an individual whose history of journalism is well known," he added. /Today's Zaman/
BELGIAN AMBASSADOR DECRIES PROBLEMS TURKS FACE VISITING EU COUNTRIES
It is ironic how European tourists can easily visit Turkey even as Turkish businesspeople face hurdles visiting Europe, Belgian Ambassador in Ankara Pol J.M.M. De Witte said yesterday. During a meeting with Antalya Chamber of Industry (ATSO) head Cetin Osman Budak De Witte, Budak decried the visa problems many Turkish businesspeople wanting to visit Europe face, and called for them to be addressed. Seconding Budak, De Witte said, "It is an ironic situation that our citizens can easily come to Turkey for holidays while Turkish nationals have difficulties traveling to Europe." He also said Belgium, as the current EU term president, is working to overcome these problems. /Turkiye/