PM ERDOGAN IN ATHENS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Athens yesterday - his second visit in less than six months, a frequency unprecedented for a Turkish premier - to attend a conference on the Mediterranean Climate Change Initiative. As Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou's guest of honor, Erdogan was greeted by Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas. Today he will speak with Papandreou about the state of exploratory talks on Turkish-Greek disputes over the Aegean. On the sidelines of the climate summit, Erdogan and Maltese Prime Minister Lawrens Gonzi will also have bilateral talks. /Sabah/
PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SAHIN RECEIVED BY JAPANESE EMPEROR
Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin, accompanied by Sermet Atacanli, Turkey's ambassador to Japan, was received by Japanese Emperor Akihito in Tokyo yesterday. After the meeting at the Imperial Palace, which was closed to the press, Sahin also met with Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Sahin said afterwards that his meeting with Kan had been constructive for strengthening bilateral ties. /Sabah/
BABACAN: "EU AND US SANCTIONS ARE MAKING TURKISH BANKS HESITANT ABOUT IRAN"
Sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and the European Union have made Turkish banks reluctant to do business with Iran, Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan said yesterday, adding that it is up to them whether they want to do business with Iran. Babacan said he doubts sanctions will cause Iran to change its stance on its uranium enrichment program, which Washington suspects is a cover to develop atomic weapons. Stating that Turkey will comply with UN Security Council resolutions, Babacan said Ankara has not provided guidelines to its banking sector on how to grapple with the new US and EU sanctions. "We don't believe in sanctions," he told reporters. "We don't believe that they will ultimately make the Iranians act as they are expected to act. So why would we do things we don't believe in? That's the bottom line." On Turkish banks' hesitation towards Iran, Babacan said, "We're seeing hesitation. Some of them are finding ways to do business, some of them may be pausing and trying to decide what to do, but there's obviously some hesitation." He said Turkey still hopes to triple its trade with Iran in five years, but acknowledged that the sanctions will make this harder. /Today's Zaman/
MALIKI VISITS TURKEY FOR TALKS ON IRAQI GOVT CRISIS
In his first visit to Turkey since Iraq's parliamentary elections, which were held seven months ago, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had talks with top Turkish officials yesterday, discussing his bid to form a government. Before meeting with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul and Ankara, Maliki said he was in Turkey for a "short but very significant" visit. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, accompanying Maliki, said the talks would focus on ways to further improve Turkish-Iraqi relations. Turkey is the last stop of a tour of the region by Maliki, including Jordan, Iran, Syria and Egypt. Maliki, a Shiite, has recently won crucial support from Iran-backed, anti-US Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, but remains at odds with some Shiite groups and the secular, Sunni-backed al-Iraqiya bloc that won the most votes in the March elections. /Today's Zaman/
GERMAN PRESIDENT ATTENDS MASS IN SOUTHERN TURKEY
German President Christian Wulff yesterday attended a liturgy at a church-turned-museum in southern Turkey, urging the mainly Muslim nation to guarantee religious freedoms for its Christian minority. Two German priests led the service in the 19th-century church of St. Paul, who was born in the city. "I think it would be wonderful if everybody could celebrate Mass without first asking for permission," Wulff told reporters after the service. He expressed hope that Turkey would soon move to meet the demands of its Christian communities for improvements in their legal status and the education of clergy. "We're going in the right direction, but we're not there yet," he added, stressing that Turkey's Christians should have the same rights as Muslims in Germany. /Hurriyet Daily News/
UNITY FOCUS OF TURKIC SUMMIT
Delegates from Turkic countries gathered yesterday in Istanbul at the World Turkic Forum to highlight their common ties while promoting steps toward the creation of a more overarching Turkic identity. "In a globalized world, we want to spread our message to the world as Turkic citizens," said Nazim Ibrahimov, Azerbaijan's diaspora minister. For his part, Kosovo's Environment Minister Mahir Yagcilar said, "The main aim of the forum is to improve our values, expand our national values, and make them international. The Turkish Republic is the mainland." Echoing Ibrahimov's call, Ahat Andican, a former state minister and professor at Istanbul University, said, "In the 21st century, we will be the part [of the world] that is shaping the world. We should. We must." /Hurriyet Daily News/
TURKEY EXPECTS TO INVEST $3.2 BLN IN IRAQI GAS
Turkey will invest nearly $3.2 billion in Iraq thanks to the bids it won this week, said Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz yesterday. Companies and consortiums led by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) on Wednesday won tenders for two out of three natural gas zones in northern Iraq. Speaking at the International Energy Congress in Ankara, Yildiz said the wins mean Turkey will invest nearly $3.2 billion in Iraq and that the TPAO will extract 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas from these zones. Yildiz said revenues from natural gas extraction in Iraq will be used to finance the exploration of domestic resources. The Turkish corporation won the tender to develop the Mansuriyah gas field near the Iranian border in Iraq's Diyala province in league with the Kuwait Energy Company, which has a 30 percent stake in the partnership, and South Korea's Kogas, with a 20 percent stake. The consortium will operate the fields for a period of 13 years and has set a production target of 6.4 million cubic meters per day. /Today's Zaman/
SPAIN'S BBVA EYES GARANTI BANK FOR EXPANSION
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Spain's second-biggest lender, is in talks to buy a stake in Turkey's Garanti Bank, in which General Electric has a stake. GE is looking to sell its 21% stake in Garanti, Turkey's second-biggest bank with a market value of 36.5 billion liras. BBVA is seeking to reduce its reliance on Spain, which accounts for about half of its profits compared with 22 percent at larger rival Banco Santander, as the economy struggles to emerge from its worst recession in 60 years. "It looks like a positive step that BBVA has made this announcement," said Funda Afacan, an analyst at BGC Partners in Istanbul, "There is very strong growth potential in the Turkish banking market, and Garanti is the leading company in many products." She added, "Turkey gives BBVA a chance to grow in a market where mortgage loans represent only about 4 percent of gross domestic product." /Hurriyet Daily News/