SEZER: “TURKEY’S EU NEGOTIATIONS SHOULD BEGIN AS SCHEDULED”
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer yesterday issued a message to mark Victory in Europe (VE) Day. Stressing that Turkey expects its European friends to start its membership negotiations as scheduled, Sezer said EU members should not doubt that Turkey will fulfill all of the required criteria for full membership. “Turkey shares the same universal values as Europe,” he added. “Our country will greatly contribute to the European principle of ‘unity among diversity.’ Reaffirming my belief that Turkey’s membership will reinforce the foundations and common values of the bloc, I’d also like to congratulate the VE Day of our friends on behalf of the Turkish nation.” /Hurriyet/

ERDOGAN TRAVELS TO RUSSIA
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday traveled to Moscow, Russia, to attend ceremonies today to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Speaking to reporters before his departure, Erdogan said that Turkey would do its best for a settlement when Armenia fully meets its responsibilities. He added that as part of the ceremonies he expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and various other heads of state and government. /Turkiye/

ERDOGAN: “TURKISH POLITICS NEEDS MORE WOMAN DEPUTIES”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the weekend attended his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) First Woman Branches Congress. Stating that his government is not in “reform fatigue” as certain circles have claimed, Erdogan stressed that Turkish politics needs more woman deputies as their contribution to the quality and development of reforms is invaluable. “A political arena excluding women, mothers and girls -- in other words, half of the population -- is doomed to fail,” he warned. In addition to AKP supporters, woman deputies from Azerbaijan, Algeria, Tunisia and Syria also attended the congress. /Cumhuriyet/

HISARCIKLIOGLU REELECTED TO TOBB HELM
During the 60th general assembly of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) yesterday, Rifat Hisarciklioglu was reelected to the chairmanship of the union for another four years by a unanimous vote. Speaking after his victory, Hisarciklioglu said that the group would preserve its unity. Praising the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) economic policies, Hisarciklioglu called on the government to make more efforts to implement structural reforms. /Sabah/

PREMIER PRAISES GOVERNMENT’S ECONOMIC SUCCESS, OPPOSITION CRITICIZES
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said that his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government would carry out the requirements of the economic program in the coming years. Speaking at the 60th general assembly of the Turkish Union of Chambers of Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), Erdogan said that his government had implemented more structural reforms than any other in Turkish history. Stressing that his government had taken very important steps on privatization, the premier said, “This is because we don’t see the state as a mechanism involved in trade.” Also addressing the gathering, opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal underlined that the Turkish economy stood on the shoulders of 80 years of work. “Everybody should respect all governments which worked for the nation,” said Baykal. Commenting on the recently announced 10 percent growth rate, the CHP leader characterized the figure as unrealistic, claiming that there were still many issues many sectors such as construction, textiles, tourism and cars. In addition, True Path Party (DYP) leader Mehmet Agar also delivered a speech criticizing the government’s economic policies. Pointing to rising unemployment, Agar stated that joblessness was leading to many social problems. /Turkiye/

TURKISH CYPRIOT GOVT WINS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) government led by Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer won a vote of confidence over the weekend. Soyer replaced former Premier Mehmet Ali Talat, and his government has 29 seats in the 50-seat Parliament. While 28 deputies voted in favor of the new government, 19 voted against it, and two were not present for the vote. Soyer, head of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), formed the new Council of Ministers (Cabinet) last month with Talat's former partner, Democratic Party (DP) head Serdar Denktas, who retains his post as foreign minister. As the newly elected TRNC president and new Turkish Cypriot government are considered pro-unification of the island, both Ankara and Brussels welcomed the development. /Milliyet/

CHP DEPUTY CHAIR CRITICIZES GOVT’S IMF POLICY
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Cevdet Selvi over the weekend criticized the government’s International Monetary Fund policy and IMF First Managing Director Anne Krueger’s recent statement arguing for a lowered minimum wage. “Evidence from all over the world is that when you impose minimum wages that are quite high, you discourage employment,” Krueger said last week. Selvi stated that not only are Turkey’s minimum wages lower than they should be but also non-negotiable. “The government cannot be allowed to force low-income households to pay the cost of its own mistaken policies,” he argued. “If an IMF official asserts that minimum wages must be reduced in such a period when corruption and theft are so common, this would cause social unrest. The minimum wage refers to the amount required by households to meet their basic needs, so it can’t be up for negotiation.” /Cumhuriyet/

CICEK: “A RETRIAL FOR TERRORIST HEAD APO WOULDN’T BE THE END OF THE WORLD”
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek over the weekend remarked that no matter how the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rules on the case of terrorist Abdullah Ocalan, it would be the neither the end of the world nor change anything in the eyes of the Turkish nation. ‘If the ECHR rules that the terrorist head should be retried, we must act responsibly to deal with this problem,” he said. “Everybody should be calm and act with common sense. If we fail to manage this issue well, Turkey’s image could suffer internationally. This issue can’t be considered a domestic one which can be used for personal gain. We must unite and act in unison on this issue.” /Hurriyet/

TUZMEN LAYS FOUNDATION OF NEW CAIRO TERMINAL
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen and Public Works and Housing Minister Zeki Ergezen over the weekend attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the third terminal of Cairo Airport, whose construction is being done by the Tepe and Akfen Venture (TAV) consortium. “Through its successful projects, TAV has already become an international brand,” said Tuzmen. “This new terminal will boost significantly the passenger capacity of the airport.” He also predicted that transaction volume between Turkey and Egypt would rise in the near future. /Star/