WULFF HAILS GUL’S "GREAT SERVICE" TO GERMANY IN SECURING FREEDOM OF JOURNALISTS FROM IRAN
President Abdullah Gul this week received a letter from his German counterpart Christian Wulff thanking him for his help with the release of two German journalists from Iran. "By saving the two journalists, you have done Germany a great service," said Wulff in the letter. "I am ready to help Turkey if you need help one day. I am grateful to you for your help and friendship." Visiting Iran on Feb. 13-16, Gul got a promise for the journalists’ release. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also thanked Gul for his help. /Sabah/
ERDOGAN APPEALS TO LIBYANS TO ENSURE SAFETY OF STRANDED TURKS
In a carefully worded address yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cautioned the Libyan administration against taking "cruel steps" to crush a popular uprising that has swept across the country, saying this would only further fuel violence. Erdogan, who openly called on ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign during massive protests against him, has avoided targeting the Libyan leader amid concerns over the safety of about 25,000 Turkish nationals residing in Libya. Addressing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputies in Parliament, Erdogan appealed to Libyans to ensure the safety of Turks, telling both the Libyan government and protesters that it is important to ensure the safety of foreigners caught up in the turmoil. "The lives and rights of the Turks in Libya are entrusted to the people of Libya," he said. "We expect both the government and demonstrators to understand our sensitivity and be extremely careful." Erdogan, who has spoken twice with Gaddafi to discuss the evacuation of Turkish citizens, insisted in his speech that the safety of Turks is Ankara’s top priority, but also appealed to Gaddafi to avoid fueling violence. "Taking cruel steps against people voicing their democratic demands will only exacerbate the spiral of violence and threaten the country’s unity," Erdogan said. Turning more broadly to the upheaval seen across North Africa and Middle East in recent weeks, Erdogan gave a stark warning: "No government that turns to violence against their people, takes no notice of their demands and remains insensitive to their expectations and sees its people as a threat can stay in power long. No regime that uses violence on its people and attempts to suppress demands [for change] through inhumane methods can maintain stability." /Today’s Zaman/
AS LIBYA VIOLENCE CLIMBS, TURKEY STEPS UP EVACUATION EFFORTS
Turkey has been working hard to evacuate thousands of Turks stranded in Libya, where violence has been raging for days, with Libyan forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi waging a bloody operation to keep him in power, but rescue efforts have proven increasingly difficult. Benghazi Airport was closed to all flights during the day, while in the evening Turkish news channels reported that the Benghazi and Tripoli ports were closed to incoming vessels. Thousands of Turkish workers stranded in Benghazi boarded buses for the port yesterday to wait for the ships. Five planes sent from Turkey on Monday flew 1,083 Turkish citizens back to Turkey, but Turkish planes were not able to get clearance to land at Benghazi Airport yesterday, forcing officials to rely on sea transportation for evacuations. Three ships escorted by the Turkish Naval Forces to Benghazi to evacuate about 3,000 Turkish citizens from the Libyan city hit hardest by deadly protests were expected to arrive yesterday afternoon. "There are 4,857 Turkish citizens in and around Benghazi, and the ships will evacuate about 3,000 of them," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters. The safety of Turkish citizens is the government’s top priority in Libya, he added. There were also efforts to bring about 25,000 Turkish citizens to safer parts of the country prior to evacuation. He added Turkey is also evaluating options to evacuate its citizens through Tunisia or Egypt. /Today’s Zaman/
TUNISIAN OPPOSITION LEADER HAILS TURKEY’S DEMOCRACY AS A MODEL
The Tunisian people consider the Turkish experience in democracy a model example for Tunisia’s post-revolutionary period, according to key Tunisian opposition leader Rashid Al-Ghannushi. Al-Ghannushi, the head of Tunisia’s strongest opposition movement Ennahda, previously banned for two decades, told reporters on Monday that Justice and Development Party (AK Party) rule in Turkey has made for a period of reconciliation between Islam and democracy. "This is what we see as the model for ourselves," he said. He added that both his party and the AK Party are conservative democratic parties and that the Turkish experience and Tunisia’s share a great deal. "We are very well aware of Turkey’s democracy experience, and we want to benefit from it," Al-Ghannushi said. Stable, with a vibrant economy and ruled by a conservative and pragmatic government led by the most popular figure across the Arab world, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has often been cited as a model Muslim democracy and a linchpin of Western influence in the region. Al-Ghannushi also praised Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who visited Tunisia on Monday as the rotating chairman of the Council of Europe, and said Turkey is holding consultations with everyone in the country and that Turkey always stresses the will of the Tunisian people. "This is significant," the opposition leader said. /Today’s Zaman/
ITALY URGES TURKEY’S FRIENDS IN EU TO HELP JUMPSTART TALKS
Italy has led calls to give a fresh boost to Turkey’s membership talks with the European Union, saying on Monday at a meeting with other EU countries supporting Turkish accession that more efforts are needed to stave off rising anti-EU sentiments in Turkey ahead of June’s parliamentary elections, when populist rhetoric is expected to soar. The EU must promote a strategy "aimed at recreating, in the runup to the elections, the very credibility and attractiveness of the EU in the eyes of both Turkish citizens and political leaders," Italy said in a paper presented on the sidelines of an EU foreign affairs meeting for the Turkey Focus Group, an informal caucus made up of Italy, Britain, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Spain and the EU Commission, German news agency DPA reported. Italy also urged the EU to speed up talks to open the competition and energy chapters with Turkey to revive long-stalled talks between Ankara and the bloc. The document also requested that the EU make more efforts to abolish visa requirements, something Turkish officials have sought for years. The EU and Turkey recently concluded talks over a readmission agreement, the primary obstacle preventing the EU from eliminating visa requirements for Turkish nationals. The paper also proposed that the EU regularly involve Turkey in EU foreign policymaking, amid Turkey’s increasingly assertive role in the Balkans and the Middle East. "We want to invite Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to the next Gymnich [informal EU foreign ministers talks on March 11-12 in Budapest] to talk about North Africa and the Middle East," said an Italian diplomat. /Today’s Zaman/
MALAYSIA-TURKEY VISA REQUIREMENTS TO BE LIFTED
Meeting in Ankara with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said Turkey and Malaysia have decided to lift visa requirements between the countries. Erdogan also announced that they want Turkish Airlines (THY) to start direct flights from Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur. /Cumhuriyet/
LUXEMBOURG TO OPEN EMBASSY IN TURKEY
Luxembourg soon plans to open an embassy in Turkey, according to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Speaking at a joint press conference with Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn in Ankara yesterday, Davutoglu said high-level bilateral visits would also take place in the coming months. Asselborn, for his part, said that in the transformation now sweeping Arab countries, Turkey could serve as a model. The European Union will be stronger with Turkey’s membership, he predicted. Thanks to the new embassy, cooperation and friendship between Luxembourg, Europe’s financial capital, and Turkey will further develop, Asselborn said. /Hurriyet Daily News/
FINLAND CALLS ON ISRAEL TO MEND TIES WITH TURKEY
Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb Monday called on Israel to repair ties with Turkey as a key component of the long-stalled Middle East peace process. Stubb urged Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is in Brussels to meet with European Union officials, to discuss EU-Israel relations and to repair weakened ties with Turkey, hailing Turkey and Israel making up a "key relationship" in the region. "I urged Israel to get along with Turkey, I think that’s probably the key relationship we have right now in the Middle East peace process," Stubb told reporters following his talks with Lieberman, who also attended the EU-Israel Association Council to discuss EU-Israeli ties. Turkey pegs reconciliation with Israel to the Jewish state’s apology for its lethal storming last May of the Mavi Marmara, which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The raid left nine Turkish citizens dead. Investigations of the raid in several international platforms, along with the International Criminal Court, continue. /Today’s Zaman/
AFTER LIFTING OF VISAS WITH SERBIA, EXPORTS PICK UP
Speaking yesterday at the Turkey-Serbia Business Forum in Belgrade, Ahmet Coskun of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists Board (TUSKON) said, "The lifting of visas provided important opportunities. Trade rose by 10%. Currently the trade volume is $500 million, and we hope to soon raise it to $1.5-2 billion." On other rising markets for Turkey, Coskun added, "TUSKON also values the Balkans as well as Africa. For the first time a delegation of 46 businessmen held meetings with Serbia. This organization will build a bridge between Turkish and Serbian businessmen." /Hurriyet/
TRAVEL WEBSITE EXPEDIA: "INTEREST IN TURKEY IS SOARING"
Global interest in Turkey as a tourism destination is surging, said Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company, in a press release this week. After entering the Turkish market 10 years ago and opening an office in Istanbul last year, Expedia keeps growing in the Turkish market, according to the company. Expedia said 2010 was a successful year for Turkish tourism and that amid this growing interest, Expedia is expanding its local network and team in Turkey via turkiye.hotels.com. The site began in 2008 and continues to bring the world to Turkish hotels, Expedia said. /Hurriyet Daily News/
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH CHILE TO TAKE EFFECT NEXT MONTH
A free trade agreement between Turkey and Chile will take effect on March 1, said Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan yesterday. The government hopes to boost bilateral trade to $1 billion in the next two years under the agreement, he said in a statement. The free trade agreement will contribute to competitive power and foreign investments, he added. Turkey opened a commercial consultancy office in Chile in line with a Cabinet decree last November. Caglayan called this an important step for improving economic ties between the two countries. /Hurriyet Daily News/
GOVT URGES TURKISH BUSINESSES NOT TO MISS OUT ON OPPORTUNITIES IN VIETNAM
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc yesterday urged Turkish businesspeople to invest in Vietnam, whose trade volume with Turkey neared $1 billion last year, despite the distance between the two nations. Speaking at the Turkey-Vietnam Trade and Investment Forum organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) in Hanoi, Arinc pointed to how Turkey’s trade with Vietnam ballooned from $100 million in 2002 to $857 million in 2010, but underlined that this amount still falls short. "Turkey wants to improve its ties with Vietnam in all areas," he added. "We have a powerful friendship group in Parliament. We’ll also appoint a trade counselor to our embassy in Hanoi … We should both take initiatives targeting our businessmen, which Turkey is ready to do." Also speaking at the event, Vietnamese Deputy Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh Minister said he believes the forum will help boost Turkish-Vietnamese economic ties. /Today’s Zaman/