GUL: "THE ECONOMIC SHIFT TO THE EAST WILL SHAKE THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE"

Touting the impressive economic growth that the Asia-Pacific region has recently shown, especially as compared to the rest of the world, President Abdullah Gul yesterday said this economic shift from West to East will have broader ramifications for the world order. Speaking at the 25th Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) conference in Istanbul, Gul argued that this shift will have certain "inevitable" consequences. "With the world balance having moved from the Euro-Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific, the Asian continent has become the world’s geopolitical and economic focus, and this will only grow clearer over time," he said. Asia’s share of the world economy has grown from only 18 percent in 1980 to 35 percent in 2009, almost doubling in less than three decades. Some estimates suggest that by 2050 the continent will account for some 60 percent of the world’s output. "The economic miracle of the Asia-Pacific region should be looked at carefully," he added. "Topping the factors that led to this miracle are political stability and the enticing business opportunities offered to foreign investors." /Today’s Zaman/

BAGIS DECRIES "UNFAIR" EU NEGOTIATION PROCESS

Turkey is facing an unfair European Union negotiation process, and could open almost all of its remaining negotiation chapters if only political hurdles were removed, said State Minister and Chief EU Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the heads of the supreme audit institutions of EU candidate and potential candidate countries and the European Court of Auditors (ECA), Bagis said Turkey’s democracy and economy have been undergoing a transformation. "Its constitutional changes particularly include very important elements," he said. "Those elements bring Turkey closer to EU standards." Turkey has only opened 13 of the 32 chapters in its negotiations with the EU. "The remaining 17 chapters have been blocked politically," said Bagis. "As a result of our work, we will open 12 chapters over the next three months. This means we will be able to close 13 chapters. Turkey wants to eliminate political hurdles." While most EU member countries continue to suffer from the economic crisis, Turkey is doing well, he said. "Turkey did its best to fulfill the EU criteria properly and succeeded in most of them," he added. "Turkey has improved in issues such as inflation and unemployment." He commented, "Our European counterparts say that from now on the ball is in Turkey’s court. If the ball is in our court, from here on out we want to play quickly. But our partners aren’t passing the ball to us like they should." Turkey has no goal but full EU membership, he stressed. "Turkey wants a fair negotiation process. We don’t want to shoulder any more (unfair) burdens," he said. /Star/

DAVUTOGLU: "THE OLD GREEK-TURKISH PARADIGM IS A THING OF THE PAST"

Despite decades of antagonism between the two countries, Turkey no longer sees Greece as a threat, and it expects its Aegean neighbor to take a similar stand, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday. "We need a new paradigm in Turkish-Greek relations, a paradigm under which we can build a future together," Davutoglu told reporters in Greece, visiting to lay the groundwork for this summer’s Turkey-Greece High Level Strategic Council meeting in Istanbul. During his visit, Davutoglu held meetings with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and Foreign Minister Dimitrios Droutsas. "We should look at our common history not in a confrontational way, but peacefully," he said. Davutoglu ignored recent negative remarks by Papandreou, and instead stressed cooperation and "peaceful language" in bilateral ties. Davutoglu said both countries should show the will to solve their problems. "Come to Turkey as if it were your home, make Turkish friends," he said. Davutoglu said Ankara’s proposed new paradigm with Greece "has no ulterior motives, distrust, or secret concerns." /Milliyet/

TRNC PRESIDENT: "OUR TIES WITH TURKEY ARE UNSHAKABLE"

Amid friction over a series of protests in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) over an Ankara-imposed austerity plan, TRNC President Dervis Eroglu on Monday sought to mend ties. "Turkish Cypriots are grateful to Turkey," Eroglu told a groundbreaking ceremony in southern Turkey for the Alakopru Dam. "Turkish Cyprus loves and is loyal to its motherland. No one can break our brotherly ties." The dam, part of a wider project to carry water from Turkey to the TRNC, carries historic importance, Eroglu said, hailing it as "the project of the century." He added that when the dam is completed in some four years, 75 million cubic meters of water will be transported annually to Turkish Cyprus. "The architect of this project is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has worked determinedly to make the project of my dreams come true," Eroglu said. He added that the project will also strengthen Turkish Cypriots’ hand in the ongoing negotiations with the Greek Cypriots over the divided island. Erdogan, for his part, called on the Greek Cypriot administration to respond to the TRNC’s efforts in the Cyprus reunification talks. "The Turkish Cypriot side has shown its will for a settlement and pushed for a solution by taking constructive steps," Erdogan told the ceremony. "But a settlement can only be achieved if this will for compromise is mutual." /Hurriyet Daily News/

TURKEY MAINTAINS FIRM OPPOSITION TO NO-FLY ZONE OVER LIBYA

With European Union heavyweights pushing for a no-fly zone over Libya, Turkey is sticking to its stance against military intervention, a position that has made it an outlier in the international community. "We believe there is no need for military intervention," an anonymous senior Turkish diplomat said yesterday, reiterating Ankara’s official line. "There is still ambiguity surrounding Libya as well as many risks. What would happen if one of our military aircraft crashed and its pilot were taken prisoner as part of a NATO mission?" The continued presence of Turkish citizens in the volatile North African country – even following the largest-ever evacuation effort in the Turkish Republic’s history – and Turkey’s business interests in Libya have prompted the government to take a cautious approach, the diplomat said. "For now it’s too early to think about a no-fly zone," he added. Washington and Ankara are aligned on the issue, the diplomat said, referring to recent statements by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates has said action should be taken only with international backing, while the White House has said all options are on the table. To create a no-fly zone, a UN Security Council resolution would be needed. Last week Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said external intervention would only worsen the situation in Libya. Turkey has so far evacuated more than 20,000 people from Libya by air, land and sea, including foreign nationals. /Hurriyet Daily News/

OIC’S IHSANOGLU CALLS FOR UN NO-FLY ZONE OVER LIBYA

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Turkish secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), yesterday backed a no-fly zone over Libya, while rejecting any operation that would involve foreign troops on the ground. "We add our voice to the chorus calling for a no-fly zone in Libya, and we call on the Security Council to do its duty in this regard," Ihsanoglu said at the start of an emergency meeting in Saudi Arabia of the 57-member OIC. Britain and France are spearheading a drive at the UN for a no-fly zone over Libya as battles rage between rebels and forces loyal to the government. The White House has pushed back against rising pressure from some US lawmakers for direct intervention in Libya, saying it first wants to figure out what military options could achieve. /Today’s Zaman/

SENIOR INDONESIAN OFFICIAL: "GUL’S VISIT WILL BOOST OUR TIES WITH TURKEY"

President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Indonesia next month will boost its relations with Turkey, according to a senior Indonesian official, calling for more cooperation between the two countries. Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam said in an interview published today that Turkey and Indonesia share many similarities and that his country’s president places great importance on Turkey. Gul is set next month to pay a rare visit to Indonesia to speak with Indonesian officials and seek more cooperation on a range of issues. Alam set his sights high, saying trade between the two countries should be boosted from its current $2 billion to $10 billion. Saying that Turkey is situated at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, Russia and the Arab world, Alam added that it holds a very important geopolitical position, and that its remarkable economic progress has attracted Indonesia’s interest. /Today’s Zaman/

RUSSIA EXPERT HAILS TURKEY’S KEY ROLE IN ACHIEVING MIDEAST STABILITY

Turkey and Russia, two former empires, have been rediscovering themselves and becoming major players in the world, but Turkey is better positioned to be a force for stability in the Middle East, according to Dmitri Trenin, director of the Moscow Center of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "Russia has limited interests in the region. There are a few projects that Gazprom and Russian Railways have been implementing in Libya, and some arms trade with Syria and Algeria," he said yesterday after taking part in a roundtable meeting organized by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV). He added that Russia is involved in tourism from Marrakesh to Dubai and that it’s closely watching rising oil prices and the epochal changes in the Arab world. "In the Middle East itself, the Russian Federation, unlike the Soviet Union, has no geopolitical designs," he said. "Unlike the United States, Russia has no clients in the region to push out, in the name of democracy, or bail out, in the name of strategic interests," he added. /Today’s Zaman/