ERDOGAN: "DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IS INHUMAN"
Speaking at a Turkish Metals Union congress, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday reached out to women who are oppressed, facing harassment, used as cheap labor, subjected to terrorism, or victims of outmoded patriarchal codes. Marking International Women’s Day, Erdogan said discrimination against women is inhuman, adding that Turkish traditions place women at the center of the household and social and economic life. In related news, a bill is in the works to stem the growing tide of murders of women across the nation. Fatma Sahin, head of the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) women’s branches, told news channel NTV yesterday that under the bill, anyone who threatens women with violence will be liable to punishment, whether they carry through on their threats or not. The bill is meant to ensure that threats are dealt with more urgently and practically and would also expand the authority of police officers. /Today’s Zaman/
FM DAVUTOGLU ARRIVING IN GREECE TODAY AHEAD OF PAPANDREOU’S VISIT TO TURKEY
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is starting a two-day visit to Greece today at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Dimitris Droutsas in preparation for a June meeting of Ankara and Athens’ high-level strategic cooperation council, attended by both countries’ prime ministers. "We want to press the momentum of bilateral relations, which sped up after Prime Minister Erdogan’s visit to Greece last year," said a Turkish Foreign Ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity. "The Cyprus dispute, Turkey’s European Union process, and ongoing talks with the EU to facilitate visas for Turks will also be discussed during the visit." Davutoglu will also meet with Prime Minister George Papandreou and representatives of the main opposition New Democracy Party. "The request for the meeting came from the party," said the official. Davutoglu is also set to visit the Western Thracian cities of Xanthi (Iskece) and Komotini (Gumulcine) and meet with representatives of Greece’s Turkish community and Muslim religious leaders there. Davutoglu’s last stop will be Thessalonica, where he will meet with the city’s new leadership and pay a customary visit to the house of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. /Hurriyet Daily News/
DAVUTOGLU: "TURKEY’S IMPORTANCE IN NEW ECONOMIC WORLD ORDER IS RISING"
Turkey’s role as an economic bridge for the new world order was the theme of a speech by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday at a luncheon at the 25th annual Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) Conference. "Turkey has significant contributions to make to the new world order," Davutoglu told his audience in Istanbul, adding, "The new economic world order requires safe transit routes to the markets of Europe." Evoking the idea of a new Silk Road, Davutoglu said, "With completion (in 2013) of the Marmaray Project, which is a $2.5 billion project that will connect Istanbul’s Asian and European sides via an undersea commuter train line, Turkey will connect Beijing to the markets of Europe." He added, "We have to work towards a fair new world order," warning of the danger when not all regions are able to enjoy growing wealth. /Today’s Zaman/
TURKEY, TRNC SHOW SOLIDARITY AT CEREMONY TO START GIANT WATER PROJECT
A groundbreaking ceremony yesterday for a giant project to transport 75 million cubic meters of water annually from Turkey to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) brought together leaders of the two countries. The ceremony in the Mediterranean town of Anamur, in the province of Mersin, to celebrate the start of the Alakopru Dam came as a sign of solidarity between the Turkish and TRNC leadership. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremony, the first step in a giant project called Life Water, alongside TRNC Prime Minister Irsen Kucuk. Also attending were Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek, who is responsible for Cyprus affairs, Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay, and Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu. /Today’s Zaman/
ECONOMIC TIES SET TO DEEPEN TURKEY’S STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE US
Advanced economic ties will strengthen Turkey and the US’ hands in their bid to undertake the role as two major powers who can address economic issues in the region, representatives from the Turkish and US business worlds agreed at a meeting yesterday in Istanbul. Representatives from the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) and Center for American Progress (CAP) met yesterday to discuss economic and political relations between Turkey and the US. The meeting underlined that the importance of a healthy relationship between Turkey and the US has become apparent, particularly during the ongoing unrest in the Middle East, and that economic ties play a key role to this end. Speaking at the meeting, TUSKON head Rizanur Meral said that since the TUSKON-CAP partnership began two years ago, the two organizations have developed and carried out successful projects. "The Turkish economy has gone through a significant transformation over the past decade, with economic and political stability as the major driving force behind this progress," he said, adding that Turkey’s rising power in its region will benefit its partners, too. US Consul General Scott Kilner praised the "impressive" performance of the Turkish economy amid the world economic crisis and called on US businesses to take advantage of Turkey’s trustworthy investment atmosphere. Sarah Wartell, CAP’s deputy chair, said the US government shares CAP’s goal of forging deeper economic ties with such fast-emerging markets as Turkey. "We need to make sure dialogue continues on both the political and economic fronts, and TUSKON has a very important role in this," said Brian Katsalis, responsible for CAP’s national security and foreign policies. /Today’s Zaman/
BSEC SIGNS PACT WITH CENTRAL EUROPEAN INITIATIVE
A memorandum of understanding was signed in Istanbul yesterday between the permanent international secretaries of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI). The memorandum, signed by BSEC Secretary General Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos and CEI Secretary General Gerhard Pfanzelter, is expected to provide a general framework for the coordination of BSEC and CEI activities on a regular basis and to strengthen their relations, with the aim of enhancing cooperation on issues of common interest. The memorandum is designed to promote a mutually beneficial relationship between the two organizations and facilitate the discharge of the responsibilities of both organizations by synergizing efforts and consolidating and enhancing collaboration. /Hurriyet Daily News/
TURKISH ENERGY EXECUTIVES TO SEEK BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SYRIA
Executives of Turkish energy companies will hold talks in Syria next week in a bid to win a share of power plant tenders there. A group of Turkish businessmen and executives of Turkey’s leading energy firms, led by Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) head Hasan Koktas, will attend the Turkey-Syria International Energy Arena meeting on March 17 in Damascus. As part of its visit to Syria, the delegation will discuss business opportunities between Turkey and Syria in the electricity trade. At the same time, they will hold talks with officials from the Syrian Electricity Ministry concerning tenders for building natural gas generation plants under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. The Turkey-Syria International Energy Arena meeting will focus on energy investments, Syria’s employment potential, joint electricity generation projection between Turkey and Syria, and support for Syria’s reforms in the electricity market, sources said. /Hurriyet Daily News/
IN POLL, TURKS’ VIEWS OF THE US, BRITAIN AND EU IMPROVE
Positive perceptions of the United States, France, Britain and the European Union have shown a marked improvement in Turkey over the past year, according to a new BBC survey. Public perceptions of the US have remained negative overall, but there was nevertheless a 22-point rise in positive views to 35 percent, according to the BBC Country Rating Poll released yesterday. It also showed a sharp 21-point drop in negative ratings to 49 percent. Turkish perceptions of the EU also improved. According to the survey of 27 countries, Turkish views went from being negative in 2010 to being positive in 2011, with a 17-point increase in positive views (46 percent) coupled with a 16-point drop in negative ratings (29 percent). The image of France, a country whose leadership opposes Turkish accession, has also improved, according to the poll. Positive views of France more than doubled over the past year, going from 17 percent in 2010 to 36 percent, while negative perceptions dropped 14 points (39 percent). As for Britain, Turkish views have also become much more favorable. Positive views rose to 41 percent (up by 23 points), while negative opinions fell 13 points (40 percent), shifting Turkey from a negative to a divided view of the UK’s influence. There was also a drastic decrease in negative views on Iran. While views remained negative overall, favorable attitudes rose 23 points to 36 percent, and unfavorable attitudes dropped 9 points to 45 percent, down from 54 percent. Israel, on the other hand, became the most negatively viewed country in the survey. Some 77 percent of Turkish respondents said they had a negative view of Israel, while only 9 percent expressed a positive one. /Today’s Zaman/