PRESIDENT GUL: "TURKEY NO LONGER RECEIVES INTL AID BUT IS INSTEAD A LEADING DONOR COUNTRY"
Turkey is a quite important country, and everyone in both our region and the world is increasingly aware of this, President Abdullah Gul said yesterday, adding that Turks should recognize it as well. "Sometimes we don't realize this fact in Turkey," Gul told state-run broadcaster TRT from New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly and having various talks on the meeting's sidelines. "Whoever I meet here, they ask me how Turkey is able to grow so much economically. They say that in the past Turkey was the 'sick man of Europe' but now it's the healthiest man of Europe. Particularly Turkey's constructive and solution-oriented efforts and initiatives to solve regional problems have drawn great interest around the world. All this has made Turkey remarkably visible. Turkey has never been so visible as it is right now." On a meeting he co-chaired earlier this week as part of a summit of UN Millennium Development Goals, attended by representatives of the world's 49 poorest countries, Gul said, "I want to say with pride that every representative from those countries who took the floor during the meeting expressed their appreciation to Turkey for (its aid to their countries.) Top officials from other countries such as the Belgian and Austrian prime ministers, and the British foreign secretary, all were beside themselves in amazement at this." Turkey was long known for receiving international aid but now it's a country that gives aid, Gul said. Asked about Western countries' concerns over Iran's controversial nuclear program, Gul said the Iranian nuclear issue is a source of concern for Turkey as well. "I'm not saying that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon," he explained. "However, Turkey isn't treating this issue as unimportant. Turkey doesn't want to see any country with a nuclear arsenal in its region." Asked about the fight against terrorism, Gul underlined the importance of Turkey eliminating the terrorism threat, and said the state will do whatever is necessary towards that end. Saying that issues should be discussed with self-confidence and good will, he stressed, however, that the state making any concessions from Turkey's unitary structure is out of the question. Yet Gul also called for local administrative reform, saying that Turkey should adopt a decentralized administrative structure, with local authorities wielding more power. Governing everything from Ankara runs counter to modern principles of government, Gul said. /Hurriyet, Sabah/
GUL VOICES CONCERN OVER POSSIBLE MILITARY ACTION ON IRAN
Possible military action against Iran is a major concern, President Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday, but added that he believed a diplomatic solution could still be found. "We are worrying about another war in the region," Gul said on PBS' Charlie Rose show. He added: "I'm not saying that it will happen, because now we all are going the diplomatic way and there's also some good steps going on there. So I hope that this issue will be solved through diplomacy." Gul said United Nations sanctions against Iran are binding on Turkey as well, adding that Ankara has abided by the sanctions and submits regular reports to the UN. But when asked if the sanctions are effective, he said, "In general, not just related to Iran, my view is this: sanctions are not working well, you see, because then you imply sanctions, to whom are you going to punish? The government or the people, or what section of the people?" Gul also said Turkey would oppose an Iran with nuclear weapons capability. /Hurriyet Daily News/
UN PANEL: "ISRAEL'S FLOTILLA RAID BROKE INTERNATIONAL LAW"
UN experts investigating Israel's May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which left nine Turkish peace activists dead, have concluded that Israel violated international law, including human rights laws, during and after the deadly raid. In its report on the incident, a fact-finding mission assigned to the UN Human Rights Council also said that Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, known for its grave humanitarian toll, is unlawful. The three-member mission called Israel's military attack on the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship of the flotilla, disproportionate and unacceptable. /Sabah/
TURKEY REBUFFS CHARGES IT IS VIOLATING UN SANCTIONS ON IRAN
Turkish officials yesterday rejected allegations that Turkish banks or companies are in violation of UN sanctions imposed on Iran over its controversial nuclear program. "Turkey's exports to Iran in 2009 totaled only $2 billion, while Iran's total imports were worth $68 billion," Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan said at a meeting hosted in Istanbul by the American Business Forum in Turkey. "And the remaining $66 billion was owed by American and European companies. There is no way that Turkey would breach sanctions on Iran." Saying that Turkey plans to boost its trade volume with Iran to $30 billion over the next five years, Caglayan underlined, however, that the UN sanctions on Iran are also binding on Turkey. "We're not trying to breach the sanctions. Everything we do, either in banking or trading goods, is transparent and open," he added. /Today's Zaman/
UN CHIEF BAN KI-MOON HAILS TURKEY'S DIPLOMATIC LEADERSHIP
Turkey's increasing visibility in the international arena on Tuesday drew praise from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In a one-hour meeting with President Abdullah Gul, who is leading Turkey's delegation to the UN General Assembly this week, Ban thanked Gul for his country's efforts to promote regional and international peace and security, praising Turkey's growing role in international diplomacy. Gul and Ban also discussed a range of issues, including the situation in Cyprus, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process, and the UN investigation of the deadly Gaza flotilla incident. /Today's Zaman/
CAMEROONIAN FM TO DAVUTOGLU: "YOU'RE WHITE BUT ONE OF US"
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is accompanying President Abdullah Gul in New York for the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, yesterday met with his Cameroonian counterpart Henry Eyebe Ayissi. During the meeting, Ayissi spoke about how Gul was welcomed with great joy and excitement during a recent visit to Cameroon. All the nation's people showed great interest in Gul's visit, Ayissi said, expressing a deep kinship with Turkey. "You're white people, but you're one of us," he said, adding that Turkey's recent outreach to Africa has been free of colonial ambitions. /Hurriyet/
IN WASHINGTON NEXT WEEK, FRIENDSHIP COMMITTEE SET TO SEEK TO CLARIFY POSITIONS TO US CONGRESS
Amid suspicions in the US Congress about recent Turkish foreign policy moves, particularly on Israel and Iran, the Turkish-US Interparliamentary Friendship Group's sixth annual meeting will be held in Washington next week. The committee, set to travel to the US on Saturday, will try to clarify Turkey's recent positions during talks with Congressmen. The Turkish side is expected to argue that Turkey has no problems with the US and that ultraconservative Jews are behind recent misunderstandings. The committee and delegation are headed by Suat Kiniklioglu from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, and includes the AKP's Erol Aslan Cebeci and Cuneyt Yuksel, Emrehan Halici from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and Mithat Melen from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). "Our relations with Washington and the administration are quite good," said Kiniklioglu. "Apart from tactical differences on Iran, our positions are actually quite similar." /Hurriyet/
GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER IN TURKEY TO DISCUSS INTEGRATION, VISA ISSUES
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere arrived in Turkey yesterday for a three-day official visit at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Besir Atalay. De Maiziere is set to meet with representatives of religious minorities in Istanbul before proceeding to Ankara. In talks with Atalay on Friday, de Maiziere is expected to raise the issues of the integration of Turkish immigrants into German society, cooperation against terrorism, freedom of religion in Turkey, and easing visa procedures for Turks visiting Germany. /Aksam/
ANKARA PURSUES EXTENSION OF PKK TRUCE THROUGH TALKS WITH WASHINGTON, N.IRAQI ADMINISTRATION
Efforts to extend the self-declared "cease-fire" of the terrorist PKK have intensified in recent days through dialogue between Ankara, Washington and northern Iraq, where the outlawed group is based. Through a new multidimensional action plan including both security and diplomatic aspects, Ankara is trying to negotiate a further extension of the cease-fire, with an eye to making it permanent. In Ankara on Sunday, civilian and military officials attended a security summit to discuss strategies for its extension. In international efforts, meetings in Washington held by National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, and talks between Turkey's Ambassador to Baghdad Murat Ozcelik and Massoud Barzani, president of the Erbil-based regional Kurdish administration, have also carried critical significance. /Hurriyet Daily News, other papers/
BABACAN PREDICTS TURKEY WILL HAVE $2 TLN ECONOMY BY 2023
Turkey will become a $2 trillion economy by 2023, with per capita income of up to $23,000, said Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan in New York yesterday. Speaking on a high-level 22-member panel on Global Sustainability which met yesterday, and which Babacan took part in at the invitation of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Babacan said the panel tried to make projections about the world of 2050. "We discussed measures to stop global warming, and also focused on the problems of needy countries," he said. Participants took part in the meeting as individuals, not representatives of their countries, said Babacan, who is accompanying President Abdullah Gul for the current 65th session of the UN General Assembly. Asked later by reporters how Turkey has managed to achieve double-digit growth figures while most of the world is still suffering from the economic crisis, Babacan said, "Turkey's economy is growing thanks to domestic consumption and investments." Stating that private sector investments in the second quarter of this year total TL 41 billion, Babacan said the volume and importance of this can be better understood when it is compared to TL 20 billion annual public sector investments. Stating that Turkey's per capita income has been rising since 2002, Babacan also predicted that Turkey would become a $2 trillion economy by 2023, with per capita income reaching $22,000-$23,000 dollars. Stating that Turkey, as the world's 16th-largest economy, should have a stronger say in managing the International Monetary Fund, Babacan said he had discussed the matter with the IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn and US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Washington previously said two developing countries should replace two European countries in the IMF management, Babacan said, adding that Kahn favors this as well. Asked about the overvalued Turkish lira, Babacan said countries with firm economies also have strong currencies. Stating that Turkey is considerably better positioned in terms of rollover risks than Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Greece, Babacan stressed the importance of political stability for ensuring the continuation of Turkey's good economic performance. On the passage of a major constitutional reform package in a referendum earlier this month, Babacan said this reassured the world that Turkey's political stability will continue. He also stressed the need to raise the Central Bank's foreign exchange level to $100 billion, an amount enough to pay off all public and private sector the debts in a year. /Star/
WORLD BANK'S ZACHAU: "TURKEY HAS OVERCOME THE ECONOMIC CRISIS"
The Turkish economy successfully overcame the impact of the global financial crisis and returned its production figures to their pre-crisis levels, World Bank Turkey Director Ulrich Zachau said yesterday. "Indeed, the Turkish economy has successfully recovered from the impact of the global credit crunch," he told the Anatolia news agency. "The entire country deserves to be congratulated for the recovery, because this success is a result of making correct decisions since 2001, following those decisions in implementation, and managing the crisis well. Production has now returned to its pre-crisis level. According to our projections, Turkey's economic growth this year will easily reach 7 percent. At the same time, unemployment is steadily declining and if the current trend continues, it will also return to the pre-crisis level in next six to nine months. On top of that, that all this is happening in the context of inflation being kept under control. As long as fiscal management continues to be strong, the CB will easily be able to meet its inflation targets." Turkey, along with China, became the fastest growing economy in the G-20 with 10.3 percent growth in the second quarter of this year, after expanding by 11.7 percent in the previous quarter. /Today's Zaman/
TURKEY NEARING END OF TALKS WITH SOUTH KOREA OVER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
Talks with South Korea are nearing an end as plans for a nuclear power plant in Turkey proceed, said Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz yesterday. On the talks over a planned plant in Sinop, Yildiz said the standard for nuclear plant construction is that a company builds it and doesn't interfere with its operations afterward. But he added, "We want them to be somewhat involved with the operations, because we're new at this," /Hurriyet Daily News/