TURKEY AND SYRIA TO RALLY EFFORTS ON EGYPT UNREST
Prime Minister Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed on Sunday to rally their efforts on the unrest in Egypt so as to spare the Egyptian people any more suffering in their struggle to realize their demands, and in the hope that security and stability will return to Egypt. Erdogan met with Assad in Aleppo following the groundbreaking ceremony for the friendship dam on the Orontes (Asi) River in Hatay the same day. A Prime Ministry Press Office statement said the two discussed recent regional and international developments, particularly the situation in Egypt. The statement added that Turkish-Syrian relations were also discussed, and that Assad and Erdogan expressed deep satisfaction with their solid cooperation in all areas. Both leaders stressed the importance of continuing work and coordination between the two countries through high-level transparent dialogue on various issues facing the region. Dialogue has focused on ensuring a secure environment to realize stability and enhance economic cooperation in the interests of the Syrian and Turkish peoples and their neighbors in the region. The statement added that Assad and Erdogan discussed the situation in Lebanon and agreed to work for the nation’s stability, security and prosperity. Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Otari, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem also participated in the meeting. /Today’s Zaman/
ERDOGAN HOLDS TALKS WITH FORMER NORTHERN CYPRIOT PRESIDENT
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met yesterday with former Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat, in his first meeting with a prominent TRNC figure since criticizing union protests there late last week. No statement was made following the closed-door, two-hour meeting at ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters in Ankara. Diplomatic sources said the meeting was arranged well before Erdogan’s criticism of the protests against the government’s austerity policy, including wage cuts, which came into effect after the signing of a protocol between Turkey and the TRNC government. TRNC President Dervis Eroglu, meanwhile, yesterday called Parliament in for an emergency session to brief deputies on the negotiations with Greek Cyprus, during which he also touched on the tension sparked by Erdogan’s criticism. "It is time for social reconciliation," he said, warning against rhetoric that could damage relations with Turkey. Eroglu also said such tension could weaken the hand of the Turkish side on the Cyprus problem and cause social polarization. In a statement over the weekend, Eroglu called on protestors to act responsibly and called demonstrations against Turkey and Ankara unacceptable. "This sort of rhetoric is contrary to our struggle for existence and also damages our national values," he said. Though he acknowledged the right to protest, Eroglu echoed Erdogan, saying some protesters had gone too far. /Hurriyet Daily News/
BAGIS: "TURKEY’S EU BID NEEDS AMERICAN SUPPORT"
Turkey expects the US to continue supporting the country’s European Union bid and help turn it into a more democratic, transparent and contemporary state, said State Minister and Chief EU Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis yesterday. "The US has always supported Turkey’s full EU membership," he said during a meeting with new US Ambassador to Ankara Francis Ricciardone. "This support was given by both Republican and Democratic administrations. I follow this support with great gratitude." Welcoming Ricciardone to Turkey, Bagis said he hoped to work together with him to make Turkey a more democratic country, especially in the wake of recent developments in the Middle East. Speaking in Turkish, Ricciardone said he was honored to meet with Bagis, and added, "The US steadfastly supports Turkey’s partnership process with the EU." Later in the day, the ambassador paid a courtesy visit to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ATALAY ORDERS PREPARATIONS FOR GENERAL ELECTIONS
Interior Minister Besir Atalay yesterday ordered provincial police chiefs to start preparing for this June’s general elections. "The police did well during last year’s referendum," he said. "I want the same sensitivity shown for these elections." Under new poll regulations, police have been given more authority, he added. /Turkiye/
INTELLIGENCE HEAD FIDAN VISITS AZERBAIJAN
National Intelligence Agency (MIT) head Hakan Fidan yesterday arrived in Baku for an official visit at the invitation of Azeri National Security Minister Gen. Eldar Mahmudov. Before meeting with Mahmudov, Fidan first visited the mausoleum of late Azeri President Heydar Aliyev, and later was received by current President Ilham Aliyev. Fidan conveyed messages from President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Aliyev, and they were well-received. Stressing that Turkish-Azeri ties are based on the principles of friendship and brotherhood, Aliyev reportedly told Fidan that security cooperation between the two countries is rapidly growing. /Aksam/
TUNISIAN CARETAKER PM ENDORSES TURKISH MODEL
Tunisians favor moving to a political system based on the Turkish model, said Tunisia’s caretaker Prime Minister Muhammad Gannushi yesterday. Speaking to Italian daily La Stampa, Gannushi, who took office after mass protests ousted the country’s longstanding autocratic President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali last month, said, "The political system that we should hold up as a model is the one in Turkey. We look favorably on Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan." Stating that Tunisians are closely following events in Egypt, where hundreds of thousands of protestors have demanded an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule, Gannushi added, "Whoever you ask, everyone praises the system in Turkey, and cites it as an example for us." Gannushi said they are maintaining close ties with modern, Islamic-orientated political groups with such as Turkey’s Islamist ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Morrocco’s Party of Justice and Development. "We especially feel close to the Turks," he added. /Hurriyet/
MUBARAK LETTER REPORTEDLY SAYS HE’LL STAY IN POWER FOR NOW BUT PLEDGES DEMOCRATIC REFORMS
Egyptian Ambassador in Ankara Abderahman Salaheldin yesterday conveyed a letter from Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit to his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu. In the letter, addressing recent massive protests against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule, Gheit reportedly made it clear that Mubarak will remain in office, but that certain democratization measures will be introduced soon. Sources close to the Foreign Ministry said the letter give firsthand information about developments in Egypt. According to the letter, they said, Mubarak won’t withdraw from office immediately but is instead planning to put into action a reform program, and will step down later according to a timetable. During his meeting with Davutoglu, they said, Salaheldin also conveyed, in diplomatic language, Cairo’s uneasiness with high-level Turkish officials statements urging Mubarak’s withdrawal, which it sees as interference in internal affairs. Both President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as Foreign Minister Davutoglu, have called on Mubarak to heed the Egyptian people’s demands and proceed to an orderly transition and quick implementation of reforms. In related news, speaking to reporters after a courtesy visit to Chief EU Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis, new US Ambassador in Ankara Francis J. Ricciardone yesterday called the current situation in Egypt an opportunity "which the Egyptian people are seizing to reach modern democracy." Ricciardone also had a closed-door meeting with Davutoglu yesterday. /Star, Milliyet/
WESTERN PUNDITS INCREASINGLY CITE TURKISH MODEL FOR EGYPT
As Egypt undergoes a painful transition from a nominally civilian but de facto military regime to democracy, the idea of a Turkish model for Egypt is increasingly being advocated by commentators from the West. Quoting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as saying that Washington wants to work with Egyptian opposition groups to organize political parties for an orderly transition, a Sunday New York Times article said, "This international effort would include Britain, Germany and Turkey, where an Islamist party has successfully taken power — a possible template for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which said Sunday it would enter into talks with the government." An editorial in Britain’s Financial Times also said, "One model [for Middle Eastern transformation] in this respect is Turkey, a thriving democracy which, as the process of political and economic modernisation has gained pace, has emerged with a government of a mildly Islamic hue that remains a valuable regional partner. One can debate whether the insistence of certain European Union governments on denying Turkey full EU membership is folly or hard-headed realism. But it is by no means impossible that Arab countries with an entrepreneurial middle class, such as Egypt and Tunisia, will – with European help – evolve in the direction of Turkish-style political pluralism and economic progress." /Hurriyet/
TURKEY URGES POOR NATIONS TO SPEND MORE ON R&D
Turkey yesterday called on least-developed countries (LDC) to invest more in research and development at a preparatory event for the fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries in Istanbul. "There is a direct link between domestic R&D expenditures and gross domestic product growth," Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK) head Nuket Yetis told the gathering. Despite LDCs’ annual GDP growth rate of around 7 percent in 2008, the UN says still more than half of their populations live on less than $1.25 per day. As poverty remains the major challenge in LDC countries, State Minister Mehmet Aydin, responsible for science and technology, said Turkey could share its own valuable experience with these countries. According to World Bank figures, Turkey’s 2008 R&D expenditures stood at around 0.72 percent of GDP. Though Turkey’s gross domestic expenditures rose almost 3.7 times in 2002-2008 to reach nearly $6.83 billion, its per capita R&D spending of $97 is far below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average of $753. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ISTANBUL MAYOR IN NEW YORK TO DISCUSS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas, the head of the United Nations’ United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), flew yesterday to New York for a four-day visit to exchange views on climate change and disaster risks with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "The purpose of my trip is to participate in New York’s UCLG activities and attend C40 events," the mayor told reporters at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. C40 is a collection of large cities, including Istanbul, that are committed to tackling climate change. The UCLG and C40 have long-term goals, said Topbas, including strengthening their partnership during the runup to next year’s Rio + 20 Earth Summit. "In order to help cities formulate their own climate action plans, we need financial mechanisms," he said. The 2010 report of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction noted an increase in natural disasters, Topbas said, adding that 65 percent of the world’s urban population is at risk. "In a panel on cities at risk, we will discuss the measures that must be taken," he said. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ANKARA TO HOST CONFERENCE ON NUCLEAR ENERGY
The Energy Ministry and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) will co-organize a conference on nuclear energy in Ankara tomorrow. The conference on nuclear energy’s entry into the Turkish energy system, at Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) headquarters, will be held as part of NEA head Luis Echavarri’s official visit to Turkey, officials told the Anatolia news agency yesterday. In addition to Echavarri, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz, TAEK head Zafer Alper and other officials and academics are expected to attend the gathering. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ENERGY, JUSTICE MINISTERS HAIL "FRIENDSHIP DAM" FOR SOLIDIFYING TURKISH-SYRIAN TIES
One day after helping to lay the foundations of a new Turkish-Syrian "friendship dam," Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said the dam will help solidify the countries’ friendship. Yildiz also said that an Arab natural gas pipeline will be finished this year. Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin added, "The Orontes (Asi) River will cement the friendship of Turkey and Syria. The Orontes no longer divides us, but unifies." /Turkiye/
RATING FIRM PRAISES CENTRAL BANK POLICIES
The Turkish Central Bank’s monetary-policy mix is "credit positive" because it limits speculative capital inflows and narrows the current-account deficit, Moody’s Investors Service said yesterday. The combination of lower interest rates to deter hot-money inflows, and higher reserve requirements to damp demand, is "not without risk but they are likely to be successful," senior Moody’s analyst Sarah Carlson said in a report. "The timing of future policy rate increases will be important," because failure to respond quickly to a pick-up in inflation could damage CB credibility, she added. Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan last month also praised the policy, which CB Governor Durmus Yilmaz started in December. Two months of rate cuts have taken the benchmark one-week repo rate to a record low of 6.25 percent. Yilmaz said the bank is more than compensating for that by forcing banks to deposit more reserves at the CB and that the total impact of the policy is tighter monetary conditions. Inflation slowed to a 40-year low of 4.9 percent in January from 6.4 percent the month before. Yilmaz said he expects further falls in the coming months before inflation accelerates again. The bank forecasts year-end consumer-price growth of 5.9 percent. Moody’s rates Turkish credit Ba2, two notches below investment grade, with a positive outlook. The economy probably grew about 8 percent last year, driven by domestic demand, Yilmaz said. The deficit in the current account, the widest measure of the balance of trade and services, widened to $44.9 billion (about 6 percent of gross domestic product), in the 12 months through November. /Hurriyet Daily News/