IN IRAN, GUL HAILS PEOPLE POWER IN THE MIDDLE EAST
President Abdullah Gul, on a visit to Tehran, yesterday called on Middle Eastern governments to heed the demands of their people. "What is happening should in no way be regarded as a surprise. In this age of communication, in an age where everybody is aware of each other, the demands and desires of the people are very realistic," Gul said at a joint press conference with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, when asked about recent protests in Tunisia and Egypt which resulted in the toppling of both countries’ governments. "We see that sometimes when the leaders and heads of countries don’t pay attention to the nations’ demands, the people themselves take action to achieve their demands," he added. /Today’s Zaman/

PRESIDENT GUL: "IRAN’S TRADE WOES ARE INTERNAL"
Domestic policy, not the US embargo, is the biggest obstacle to Iran expanding its trade with other countries, President Abdullah Gul reportedly told Turkish businessmen accompanying him in Tehran yesterday. With Iran and Turkey determined to boost their political and economic ties, more than 100 Turkish businessmen are accompanying Gul on his current four-day visit to Iran. Turkey aims to increase its trade with Iran from $10 billion to $30 billion, Gul reportedly told the businessmen, without giving a timeframe. Gul told a joint press conference yesterday with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the two countries held detailed discussions on key issues of mutual interest and made important decisions, Agence France-Presse reported. "We decided to give orders to our respective parties to remove all obstacles" hindering bilateral cooperation, Gul said. Speaking at the same press conference, Ahmadinejad said Turkey and Iran share similar views on regional peace, security and development, adding that their cooperation could transform the region into an economic, political and cultural powerhouse. "Our relations with Turkey are deep, permanent and brotherly, and they have made significant progress in many areas in recent years," Ahmadinejad told reporters. He also took the opportunity to publicly thank Gul for Turkey’s position on "Iran’s nuclear rights," adding that Iran and Turkey are determined to strengthen both political and economic ties. /Sabah/

SAHIN RECEIVES US AMBASSADOR RICCIARDONE
Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin yesterday received new US Ambassador in Ankara Francis J. Ricciardone for a closed-door meeting. Posing for reporters, Sahin expressed his pleasure at having Ricciardone in Turkey again. Ricciardone started his career in Turkey and has served in Turkey three times since. "This means you know about the problems of the region," said Sahin. /Sabah/

AS ACCESSION HOPES DIM, TURKEY SHELVES EU REFORMS
With key European Union states showing no sign of relenting in their opposition to Turkey’s accession, the government has postponed dozens of laws required to achieve harmonization with the 27-nation bloc’s standards until after the June general elections, and even beyond. Among more than 40 laws that are required to be passed, those involving significant economic costs are particularly unlikely to come to Parliament in the foreseeable future as the government is reluctant to agree to the financial burden without any real prospect for membership. Sources close to the issue estimate the cost of harmonization with EU standards at $60 billion, and the public and private sectors are both expected to be affected. As elections draw near, this is a painful concession to make. France and Germany oppose Turkey’s membership due to cultural differences, and many in the EU fear that Turkish accession will spark an influx of immigrants from Turkey. /Today’s Zaman/

EMINE ERDOGAN TO ADDRESS UN SESSION
Emine Erdogan, the wife of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will address a session at the United Nations later this month, according to the Istanbul Women’s Research Center. Mrs. Erdogan will travel to New York to participate in the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which will take place at UN Headquarters from Feb. 22 to March 4, and will speak during a meeting organized by the center. The topic of Erdogan’s speech will be the "The Importance of Women and Girls’ Access to Education for the Construction of Humanity and the Empowerment of Women." /Aksam/

FORMER GERMAN FM: "PUSHING TURKEY AWAY FROM THE EU IS A GRAVE MISTAKE"
The European Union had made a "grave mistake" by pushing Turkey aside, said former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in a newspaper interview published this week, warning the EU that not making Turkey a member of the 27-nation block means the EU is failing to protect its interests in the region. Fischer, who is also the founder of the German Greens Party, told Greek daily To Vima that Turkey’s European Union membership bid is currently at a standstill and that it has lost its appetite to become an EU member, Sabah daily reported yesterday. Fischer, who was invited to Athens by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, argued that Turkey, a member of the G-20, has been making great advances in recent years, and now is mulling various alternatives. "How will Europe protect its interests in the Middle East, the Caspian region, Central Asia and the Arab world without Turkey?" Fischer asked. "I believe the European Union is making a grave mistake by pushing Turkey aside. This is against our interests." /Today’s Zaman/

WSJ: BRITAIN, TURKEY CLOSE TO SIGNING MILITARY DEAL
Britain and Turkey are close to military cooperation, the Wall Street Journal reported

yesterday. The countries are close to signing a military cooperation deal including Turkey’s participation in the construction of warships for Britain as well as the training of British helicopters pilots in Turkey. Under the deal, Turkish officers will also take part in programs at Britain’s Royal College of Defence Studies, said the Journal. /Sabah/

TURKEY EXPECTS UN PANEL TO BLAME ISRAEL FOR MAVI MARMARA ASSAULT
After submission of its final report to a UN panel probing Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last May, Turkey expects the panel to call for Israel to accept blame for the incident, according to a top Turkish diplomat. "We expect the truth to be revealed and Israel to accept its wrongdoing and apologize," said Mithat Rende, Turkey’s contact point with the United Nations for the inquiries into the attack. But one diplomat familiar with the issue said that the UN panel can’t take any action against individual countries, as that lies beyond its mandate. Its findings could, however, lead to action by the UN secretary-general. "The panel can’t do anything but publish its own findings," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "This is a battle in the international arena, and both sides interpret the incident from their own perspectives." Rende said that since the raid, Turkey has called for an impartial, transparent and prompt investigation in line with international standards. Rende said the UN panel would convene later this month to examine Turkey and Israel’s national reports before meeting again next month, when he and his Israeli counterpart will respond to the panel’s verbal questions. He said it’s not yet clear if the panel will hold another meeting after that, as this decision rests with the panel chairman. At the end of the process, the UN panel is expected to present a report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. According to Rende, the UN panel could recommend that Ban urge Israel to own up to its wrongdoings, which he said would mean the international community considers the Israeli action "unjust." "It is important that Israel accepted an international inquiry for the first time in its history, but we’ll see what will come out of this investigation," said Rende. "We want justice to find its place. Our aim is not to slander Israel and its people. We place importance on friendship between our nations, but the Israeli government’s actions do not bode well." /Hurriyet Daily News/

TIKA HEAD: "OUR AGENCY PROVIDES AID UNCONDITIONALLY"
The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) provides assistance to countries regardless of whether they are accused of being a dictatorship by the international community or even if Turkey has bad relations with them, as in the case of Israel, TIKA head Musa Kulaklikaya said yesterday. "We aim to assist countries without any conditions," he told the Diplomatic Correspondents’ Association, adding that TIKA works to establish good relations with the people of countries where it provides assistance. "We don’t impose any conditions," he said. "Certainly, if you give, you expect something in return. If you want to improve relations, you should organize (grassroots) projects to support them." Kulaklikaya stressed the importance of achieving peace and tranquility in the Balkans and strong foundations for relations with the countries of Central Asia. "Why don’t we establish a union of the Turkic world?" he asked. "There are already several initiatives towards this. So the importance of TIKA and similar groups will soar." Asked about TIKA assistance to Sudan, a country whose president, Omar al-Bashir, is accused of being a dictator, Kulaklikaya replied, "We assist the people of those countries that need help, not the dictators." Although Turkey’s relations with Israel soured following last May’s raid on the Mavi Marmara aid ship, the relations of TIKA and its Israeli counterpart are developing, he said. "Israel has proposed cooperating in the Palestinian territories and other countries," he said. TIKA was established to provide development assistance foremost to developing countries where Turkish is spoken and countries that border Turkey as well as improve cooperation through projects and economic, commercial, technical, social, cultural and educational programs. TIKA assists the countries of Central Asia, the Balkans and Africa with a budget of approximately $700-750 million annually. /Hurriyet Daily News/

TURKISH FIRMS EYE RETURN TO PRE-CRISIS $6 BLN EXPORTS TO RUSSIA
In the wake of a decline amid the global economic crisis, Turkish exports to Russia are now set to return to pre-crisis levels. Turkey’s exports to Russia fell from $6 billion in 2008 to around $2.5 billion in 2009, but exporters are hoping to return to 2008 levels this year. Turkey managed to boost its overall exports to $52 billion, a 52 percent increase over the preceding year. Companies are optimistic that they will reach their export target to Russia by year’s-end, while more Turkish companies have set their eyes on this giant market than in previous years. The 18th annual Prodexpo, a recent food product fair in Russia, was important in showing the potential for boosting Turkey’s exports to Russia. The Aegean Exporters Union alone is working to help 10 new Turkish food exporters enter the Russian market. /Today’s Zaman/

TURKEY RETAINING BANKS FOR JAPANESE BOND TALKS
Ankara has hired three banks to arrange meetings with Japanese bond investors next week, according to Bloomberg. Daiwa Securities Capital Markets, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities and Mizuho Securities are arranging talks for Feb. 22-23, anonymous Japanese sources told Bloomberg. Ankara plans to sell $2 billion of Samurai bonds guaranteed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Hiroshi Watanabe, the CEO of state-run Japanese bank JBIC, told reporters last November. Samurai bonds are yen-denominated notes sold in Japan by overseas borrowers. Turkey has planned for about 12.5 billion TL in foreign borrowing this year, including payments from international lenders such as the World Bank. It sold $1 billion of 30-year bonds on Jan. 5 at an annual yield of 6.25 percent, the lowest ever for the maturity. Turkey expects an increase in its credit rating to investment grade after its general elections in June, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said in London last November. /Hurriyet Daily News/