ERDOGAN: "TURKISH-RUSSIAN RELATIONS ARE EXPANDING INTO NEW AREAS"
Relations between Turkey and Russia, based on roots going back decades, are swiftly improving, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. "Longstanding Turkish-Russian relations are taking confident steps toward the future, diversifying into the fields of the economy, politics, the military and culture," he told the Turkish-Russian Business Forum in Moscow, co-organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM), and Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB). Following a high-level cooperation council meeting yesterday co-chaired with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, Erdogan said Turkey would proceed with its nuclear energy program despite the unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan, starting with the Akkuyu nuclear power plant set to be built by Russia. "We want to start this as soon as possible. Everything is ready," he added. Also speaking at the forum, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said the Akkuyu plant will be the "best of its kind in the world." Erdogan also stressed that Turkey wants to boost its trade with Russia to $100 billion by the end of 2015, and that the upcoming visa-free regime between the two countries is expected to help this goal.
CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF KOSANER WELCOMES PAKISTANI COUNTERPART
Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Isik Kosaner yesterday welcomed Pakistani Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Khalid Shamim Wayne at General Staff Headquarters with a military ceremony. The Pakistani general, visiting Ankara through next Monday, was later received by President Abdullah Gul at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. During their closed-door meeting, Kosaner and Ankara Ambassador of Pakistan Tarik Azizuddin were also present.
PRIME MINISTRY WEBSITE CHRONICLES ERDOGAN’S GLOBE-TROTTING
Since coming to office eight years ago, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has visited 85 countries in five continents, and the Prime Ministry is now marking his extensive travels on its website. The website now features an interactive world map showing his visits with Turkish flags. Clicking on a flag brings up photos and information about Erdogan’s visit to that destination. To date Erdogan has visited Europe more than any other continent, with visits to 31 countries, followed by 13 in the Middle East.
TURKEY URGES IRAN AND SAUDI ARABIA TO COOL SPAT OVER BAHRAIN
Fearing further trouble in the Mideast, Turkey has warned Saudi Arabia and Iran, at odds over Saudi intervention in Bahrain, to act with restraint and avoid actions that would undermine peace and stability. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned his Saudi and Iranian counterparts against creating problems in the Middle East, calling on both sides to act with restraint following their spat over Bahrain, reporters have learned. In phone conversations with the two countries’ foreign ministers, Davutoglu said peace and stability are urgently needed amid the Mideast turmoil. Davutoglu spoke twice on the phone with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, first in Ankara before leaving for a trip to Russia and then in Moscow late Tuesday, diplomatic sources said. Davutoglu also spoke on the phone with his Saudi counterpart, who expressed a willingness to visit Turkey soon. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may also hold bilateral talks with Saudi officials on the sidelines of the Jeddah Economic Forum starting this Saturday.
EBRD, TURKEY SIGN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ACTION PLAN
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has cemented its support for Turkey’s efforts to promote energy efficiency investments with the launch of a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP). In a memorandum signed Tuesday between the Treasury Undersecretariat and the EBRD, both sides expressed their intention to implement measures to build a more energy-efficient economy and strengthen Turkey’s competitiveness through the use of green technology. "Supporting sustainable energy investments is a central element of our overall strategy and a key focus of our activities in Turkey," said Michael Davey, the EPRD’s director in Turkey. "SEAP will help facilitate real improvements in energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy through targeted initiatives developed in close cooperation with the Turkish government."
SERBIAN PM SUPPORTS TURKEY’S "ZERO PROBLEMS" POLICY
Turkey’s policy of "zero problems with neighbors" is a good one and Serbia looks forward to being in as good a position as Turkey as it moves on from the war of the 1990s, according to Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic. "It is obvious that something is happening in the Middle East, but I’m not sure we can understand the impact of what is happening now in the region," he told Skyturk in an interview with Zeynep Dereli, director of the Atlantic Council’s Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum.
ANNAN: "TURKEY’S ROLE IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA IS CRUCIAL"
Turkey’s role in the international arena has increased substantially and its voice is important in bringing the perspective of Islamic countries to this arena, according to Ghanaian diplomat and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "I [hope] reforms will continue in Turkey and that it will negotiate in international institutions where global issues are discussed," Annan said in a speech delivered Tuesday at the Leaders of Change Summit in Istanbul. Turkey’s voice is important because it is one of the large Islamic countries that brings these countries’ perspectives and dimensions to the international arena, he added. "Turkey is an interesting and dynamic country that has gone and keeps going through lots of changes. It is a country that struggles [between] East and West and that has a lot to offer," Annan said, adding that the country had used its European Union accession process to further reforms.
WB’S ZACHAU: "DEVELOPING COUNTRIES SERVED AS A MODEL DURING THE ECONOMIC CRISIS"
Stressing that Turkey’s leading role in change is clearly visible, World Bank Turkey Director Ulrich Zachau said yesterday, "Developing countries like Turkey served as a model for developed countries during the economic crisis. Turkey won general approval for its reforms and developments." Saying that most countries see a rise in uncertainty in the runup to elections, he added, "Though Turkey has elections scheduled for June 12, no one sees uncertainty or is worried."
TURKEY ISSUES WARNING AGAINST TRAVELING TO JAPAN
Turkey yesterday warned Turkish citizens against traveling to Japan following its earthquake and continuing nuclear disaster. "We recommend that our citizens postpone their travel to Japan at this stage if it is not essential," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement called on Turkish nationals to stay alert and monitor events in northern Japan and the Kanto region, heeding warnings from the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo and Japanese authorities. Turkey’s Ambassador in Tokyo Sermet Atacanli told the Anatolia news agency yesterday that Turkish citizens should leave Japan if they have "no reason to stay in the quake- and tsunami-hit country."
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE UP TO 93.56 POINTS IN FEBRUARY
Turkey’s consumer confidence index rose 2.49 percent in February to reach 93.56 points, the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) and Central Bank announced yesterday. They chalked up the rise in confidence to improvements in consumer assessments concerning their purchasing power in the months to come and the general economic outlook for the next quarter and job opportunities for the coming half year, respectively. Consumers’ purchasing power also rose in February to 85.5 points from 84 points in January, a sign of increasing prosperity in Turkey, where the CB has earned more and more credibility in the eyes of international observers for fighting inflation.
TURKISH DAILY TO PUBLISH WIKILEAKS CABLES ON TURKEY
A Turkish newspaper said yesterday that it has linked up with online muckraker WikiLeaks to publish thousands of US diplomatic cables covering Washington’s relationship with Turkey. Taraf said it reached a deal with WikiLeaks, which had sought cooperation with the liberal newspaper. Taraf said it did not pay WikiLeaks for the cables and that it will begin publishing 11,000 cables, most from the last decade, as of today. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is fighting extradition from Britain to Sweden over alleged sex crimes, told Taraf in an interview that Turkey is the second most-mentioned country in US diplomatic cables after Iraq, which is why they made this move to publish the cables with Taraf.
DECEMBER JOBLESS RATE DOWN TO 11.4 PCT
Turkey’s unemployment rate fell to 11.4 percent in December 2010, down 2.1 points year-on-year, indicating stable economic growth. The number of jobless was down by 432,000 in December compared to the same month in 2009, the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) said on Tuesday. The economy grew 11.7 percent in the first quarter of 2010, followed by 10.3 percent growth in the second quarter and 5.5 percent in the third, all year-on-year. The TurkStat figures show that Turkey’s labor force grew to 22.67 million in December, a rise of 1.2 million year-on-year. "We will see declining unemployment in 2011," Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun told the Anatolia news agency.