ERDOGAN: "ISRAEL MUST REMOVE ITS FOREIGN MINISTER"

Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, whose ties with Israel have been badly strained over the past year, on Wednesday called on Tel Aviv to remove Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, saying that he poses an obstacle to Middle East peace. Erdogan called Lieberman "a problem at the head of Israel" in an interview with al-Jazeera TV. "Israelis must rid themselves [of Lieberman] and that is surely their duty and not ours," he told the network. "When the Israelis meet these conditions, we will reassess the situation." Erdogan wants Israel to end its blockade on the Gaza Strip, imposed after Hamas gained control there in 2007. "[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s government is the worst or the least fortunate in the history of Israel," Erdogan added. /Hurriyet Daily News/

YILDIZ: "RENEWABLE ENERGY IS A PRIORITY"

Renewable energy is a priority in terms of both legislation and culture, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said at the Second National Energy Efficiency Forum in Istanbul yesterday. As recent renewable energy legislation shows, Turkey’s green energy ambitions are a top priority, Yildiz said, but further legislative efforts as well as a change in the culture of the energy sector are needed. "Regulation and legislation is important, but not enough, since it’s also the culture that has to change," he said. "Actors of energy change are found at every level of society; we can’t all sit individually and watch other people do it, while not taking responsibility." The two-day forum comes after passage late last year of a renewable energy law guaranteeing lower prices for renewable energy projects. In his speech, Yildiz emphasized people’s individual responsibility to change energy consumption patterns. The government is prioritizing energy as a result of global climate change and Turkey’s increasingly vulnerable energy dependency, he said. "Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan has taken energy conservation and its many concerns under his wing and prioritized them," he added. The forum will have a large impact on Turkey’s upcoming energy strategy plan, which is expected to include more renewable projects, he said. "This conference should be considered the final meeting before the strategy plan," he added. /Hurriyet Daily News/

EU’S ASHTON VISITS TURKEY AHEAD OF NEXT WEEK’S IRANIAN NUCLEAR TALKS

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday ahead of next week’s nuclear talks between Iran and world powers in Istanbul. Davutoglu and Ashton also discussed Turkish-EU relations as well as regional and international issues. In a press conference afterwards, Davutoglu characterized their discussion as positive but added that Turkey would still "like to see a stronger will on the part of the EU" towards accession. He also criticized the current slowdown of accession talks, saying that it shows "a lack of vision on the part of the EU." This was Ashton’s first visit to Turkey in her new role as head of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s foreign ministry and diplomatic corps. At the press conference, Ashton said that in her new role, she is "keen to have the right strategic dialogue with Turkey." While the talks come just one week before the Iranian nuclear meetings in Istanbul, Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal reiterated that Turkey is only hosting the meetings and serving as mediator. Asked what role Turkey would play in the meetings, Ashton reiterated that Turkey would not have a stake in the negotiations. /Hurriyet Daily News/

HARIRI IN ANKARA TO MEET WITH ERDOGAN, DAVUTOGLU ABOUT LEBANESE POLITICAL CRISIS

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is in Ankara today to discuss his country’s political turmoil with top Turkish officials. After arriving last night, he is due to speak with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We will listen to Mr. Hariri’s positions and later continue our contacts with the related parties," said Davutoglu of the meeting. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman this week accepted the resignation of Hariri’s government, but asked Hariri, as well as other members of his party, to remain in their positions in a transitional government. /Cumhuriyet/

NEW MIGRANT RULES, EASIER TURKISH VISAS FOR EU REPORTEDLY IMMINENT

An agreement between Turkey and the European Union to stanch illegal migration to Europe while facilitating visas for some Turkish citizens to Schengen countries is nearing completion, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry official. The EU Commission has dispatched a technical delegation to Ankara to finalize the deal’s final draft, the official said on Thursday, adding that there are still a few matters requiring clarification. "This agreement will open the way to starting a serious visa dialogue with Turkey," Cecilia Malmstrom, EU commissioner for home affairs, wrote Tuesday on her personal blog. On the difficult and specific criteria which must be met to achieve visa facilitation, she said: "Other countries could succeed in it. I don’t see any reason for Turkey to fail to achieve it." The visa deal would facilitate visa procedures for students, businesspeople, athletes and artists, she said, adding, "It would be expanded to all citizens in further stages." /Hurriyet Daily News/

NSC: "PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS GOOD RELATIONS WITH BOTH GUL AND ERDOGAN"

The US places importance on its relations with rising powers such as Turkey and wants stronger and deeper ties with it, said US National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Michael Hammer this week. "We have a very close alliance relationship with NATO ally Turkey," he added. "We want to continue expanding and improving our strategic partnership with Turkey." Hammer stressed that President Barack Obama has good relations with both President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. /Star/

TOP US COMMANDER SAYS PKK THREAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED IN THE LONG RUN

While praising Turkey’s constructive efforts in Iraq, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday acknowledged that the threat coming from terrorist PKK bases in northern Iraq must be eliminated. "I’ve had enough engagement with the Turkish military leadership to understand where the investments are going and the need to do that and the need to evolve," he told reporters. "The (Turkish) military (is) very focused on the PKK threat, the terrorist threat in northern Iraq, and that’s something I think in the long run needs to be resolved." Asked about an increase in Turkey’s defense budget, Mullen said this is an internal issue. "I haven’t seen the specifics of the budget, but certainly I know that previous investments are, from my perspective, have in execution provided Turkish capability that we rely a great deal on" in such places as Afghanistan, he said. Asked about Turkey and Yemen’s decision this week to abolish visa requirements between the two nations, Mullen said it represents "a growing and stronger relationship between (the) two countries, which I think is a very positive step." /Today’s Zaman/

TURKISH GROUP SIGNS ENERGY DEAL WITH IRAQ

Turkish company Calik Energy signed a deal yesterday with the Iraqi government to build a power plant for $445.5 million. The deal between Calik and the Iraqi Electricity Ministry is for the construction of the 1,250-megawatt al-Hayrat plant in Karbala. Calik Holding CEO Ahmet Calik and Salam Kazzaz, Iraq’s deputy electricity minister, signed the agreement in a ceremony in Baghdad with the participation of Iraq’s deputy premier for energy, Hussain al-Shahristani, and Turkey’s ambassador to Iraq, Murat Ozcelik. Speaking at the ceremony, al-Shahristani said that when it’s completed two years from now the al-Hayrat plant will be the biggest in Iraq, and will create 500 jobs. Al-Shahristani said the Iraqi government would hold more tenders for the construction of two power plants in Mosul. /Hurriyet Daily News/

CB EXPECTS CONTINUED SPEEDY GROWTH IN Q4

Turkey’s growth in the last quarter of 2010 will show up higher than that in the previous quarter, predicted Central Bank Governor Durmus Yilmaz yesterday. Speaking to a meeting in Istanbul organized by the Anatolian Lions Businessmen’s Association, Yilmaz said that there are signs that the slowdown in the third quarter of last year – when Turkey saw gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 5.5 percent, down from an 11 percent average in the first six months – won’t last through the year’s end. "Industrial production, the (industrial) capacity utilization rate, and expectation of future orders all show that there has been an acceleration in economic activity," he said, also dismissing claims that the economy is overheated. Yilmaz also stressed that Turkey’s economic growth is driven by domestic demand, as the recovery from the global financial crisis in Turkey’s export markets seems to be much slower than that in domestic market. That is the reason for the divergence between export-oriented companies and those with sales mostly inside Turkey, he said. On unemployment, one of Turkey’s most troubling economic problems, he said companies re-engaged in extensive recruitment during Q4 and that the 11.3 percent unemployment rate of last September is likely to have dropped. CB data suggest that inflation-related developments are in line with its medium-term targets, Yilmaz said. "But the world is changing quickly," he added. "There are problems particularly in the field of commodity prices. That is why we should closely follow (global trends) with caution." CB estimates for 2011 call for inflation of about 5.4 percent, down from 6.4 percent. /Today’s Zaman/

WORLD BANK ESTIMATES 4.1 PCT GROWTH FOR TURKEY THIS YEAR

According to the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects 2011 report, although economic recovery in most developing countries is not clear, Turkey is continuing to grow. The report also estimated growth of 4.1 percent and 4.3 percent in Turkey this year and next. "Turkey’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is realized as 8.1 percent for 2010," said the report. "Because of decreasing competitiveness in exportation and weaker base effect, the rate of growth will be 4.1." The report also predicted a drop in Turkey’s high unemployment rate. /Turkiye/