PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SAHIN MEETS WITH IRAQI COUNTERPART
Meeting yesterday in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart Osama al-Nujaifi, Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin said Turkey’s Parliament is ready to extend support to Iraq’s. "Turkey has a great interest in the security, tranquility and prosperity of the Iraqi people," said Sahin. "Turkey has always had an unequivocal and warm policy toward Iraq." The Turkish-Iraqi Interparliamentary Friendship Group has nearly 400 members, Sahin said, adding that this group helps develop ties between the two countries. "I know there are many problems in Iraq needing solutions," said Sahin. "I believe these problems will be solved through mutual understanding." Al-Nujaifi said the Iraqi people have great confidence in the Turkish-Iraqi friendship and that Turkey has shown a balanced, sincere and clear policy toward Iraq. Asked about developments in Egypt, al-Nujaifi said no one should interfere in Egypt’s internal affairs and that it should solve its problems on its own. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ECONOMY TO BE FOCUS OF GUL’S IRAN VISIT
President Abdullah Gul will travel to Iran this weekend for a three-day visit, expected to focus on economic cooperation, a government official said yesterday. Gul will meet with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Monday, the official said on condition of anonymity. Gul will be accompanied by several government ministers, including Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, as well as lawmakers, businessmen and academics, said the source, adding that the president is expected to also visit the cities of Tabriz and Isfahan. Turkey’s ties with its eastern neighbor have markedly improved since the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power in 2002, with Ankara pushing in recent years for a diplomatic resolution to the row over Tehran’s nuclear program. In June, Turkey irked the US when it voted against fresh UN sanctions on Iran, arguing that a nuclear fuel swap deal it had negotiated with Brazil the previous month should be given a chance. Iran is also one of Turkey’s main suppliers of natural gas. /Hurriyet Daily News/
BABACAN: "TRANSFORMATION IN THE MIDEAST MUST BE PEACEFUL"
The transformation in the Middle East which began with events in Tunisia and Egypt calls for a definite period of transition, said Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan on Wednesday, warning of a difficult time ahead. Babacan made the remarks at a dinner in Istanbul hosted by the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), also attended by Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who is visiting Turkey at the invitation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Stressing that it is impossible to ignore recent developments in the Middle East, Babacan said the region has reached a point that makes reforms a necessity, not an option. Babacan implied that the reforms should give priority to individuals before the state, and that the state should heed the demands and expectations of the people. Babacan also cautioned that this transformation should be orderly and occur with a definite period of transition, rather than suddenly. Babacan said the region is undergoing an important transformation and that Turkey has basic principles on finding solutions to the region’s problems through diplomatic means. /Today’s Zaman/
DINCER FAVORS ENDING VISA REQUIREMENTS BETWEEN TURKEY, NEW ZEALAND
Turkey and New Zealand should lift visa requirements for their citizens to visit each other’s country, Labor and Social Security Minister Omer Dincer said yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the Turkey-New Zealand Joint Economic Committee in Wellington, Dincer said that Turkey and New Zealand must work together to facilitate investment conditions, and thanked the delegations of both countries for their contributions. "We want to develop relations with New Zealand. We must end visa requirements and do away with bureaucracy," he said. "Turkey and New Zealand have excellent political ties. Our economic relations haven’t developed as much as our political ones. We need a new vision to boost economic relations." The visa requirements make it difficult for Turkish businesspeople to come to New Zealand, and so complicate efforts to strengthen commercial ties, Dincer said. Pointing out that citizens of New Zealand can come to Turkey without the need for a visa, Dincer said that, in 2008, around 23,000 tourists from New Zealand visited Turkey. "We don’t require visas from your businesspeople but instead encourage them to come to Turkey," he said. "We need to make the task of those willing to invest easier. We invite you to lift the borders between our two countries." Turkey’s trade volume with New Zealand is around $112 million, but Dincer said it could easily increase by three- or fourfold. "The cooperation between our two countries can present greater opportunities," he added. /Hurriyet Daily News/
CULTURE MINISTER ATTENDS EASTERN MED TOURISM FAIR
The East Mediterranean Tourism and Travel Exhibition (EMITT) opened at Istanbul’s TUYAP International Fair and Congress Center yesterday. Speaking at the conference’s opening ceremony, Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay said that Turkey is the number seven country worldwide in terms of attracting tourists and number nine in terms of tourism revenues. Gunay added that Turkey hopes to attract 30 million tourists this year. /Today’s Zaman/
UK HOPES TO DOUBLE TRADE WITH TURKEY
The new British White Paper, an official government document on investment and trade perspectives released on Wednesday, places crucial importance on trade with emerging and fast-growing economies, seeking to double British trade with Turkey by 2015. "We promote trade with Turkey," said a contributor to the report, issued by United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI), adding that these goals are not for the short term. "The UK also has significant interests in other emerging powers," says the report. "We aim to double trade with Turkey and support its accession to the European Union." Turkey is in a customs union with the EU, the document notes. "The UK has long been a strong supporter of Turkey’s membership of the EU, as a major emerging economy in Europe that is set to be Europe’s second largest economy by 2050," it says. "Turkey is pro-trade and is seeking a series of bilateral trade deals, with a focus on Middle East and Caucasus markets. Turkey presents a significant opportunity and the UK is aiming to double current trade by 2015, from a base of 9 billion pounds," or $14.5 billion. /Hurriyet Daily News/
GERMAN COURT RULES TURKISH TOURISTS DON’T NEED VISAS
Turkish nationals traveling for tourism purposes to European Union member states are exempt from visa requirements, ruled a German court on Wednesday. Munich’s Administrative Court upheld a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling to that effect, just 11 days after the EU announced that negotiations with Turkey on the readmission of illegal immigrants, the biggest obstacle to a visa-free travel regime between Turkey and the 27-nation bloc, have been concluded. "Turks can enter Germany during travel for tourism purposes without obtaining visas and stay in the country for up to three months without obtaining a residence permit," the court said. /Today’s Zaman/