ERDOGAN IN POLAND FOR COUNCIL OF EUROPE SUMMIT
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday traveled to Warsaw, Poland to represent Turkey at a two-day summit of the Council of Europe starting today. Before his departure at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, Erdogan told reporters that the third summit of the Council of Europe would offer an exchange of views on the future of the Europe. In addition to Erdogan, 45 other leaders representing member states will take part in the gathering at Warsaw’s Royal Castle. The Turkish premier is expected to hold an informal meeting on the meeting’s sidelines with Armenian President Robert Kocharian. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN: “NO ONE IS MORE NATIONALIST MORE THAN WE ARE”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met in Ankara with his Justice and Development Party (AKP) provincial heads from 81 provinces nationwide. Erdogan as well as Justice Minister Cemil Cicek briefed the party’s top members about recent developments concerning the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling last week on terrorist group PKK head Abdullah Ocalan. Stressing that the court’s ruling was not related to the AKP, but was a matter of Turkey, Erdogan said Ocalan’s 1999 trial had been carried out during the previous coalition government. Saying that Ocalan had been punished justly, the premier stated that a retrial would in no way change the conscience of the nation. “Some people are trying to weaken the AKP. They didn’t do anything when they were in power,” charged Erdogan. “No one is more nationalist than we are.” Furthermore, Erdogan yesterday also addressed a gathering marking World Farmers’ Day. He said that his government was working hard to advance the country. /Turkiye/
ANKARA CALLS ON UZBEK GOVT TO ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE
Turkey yesterday expressed called on the Uzbek government to act with common sense and start a dialogue with protesters. A statement made by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Turkey places great importance on Uzbekistan’s stability and the Uzbek people’s right to continue to live in peace. It emphasized Turkey’s wish for an immediate end to the ongoing tension in the country, adding that Turkey was ready to offer whatever assistance it could towards this end. /Cumhuriyet/
AGAR REELECTED TO DYP HELM, FOUR DEPUTIES QUIT PARTY
The True Path Party (DYP) completed its eighth ordinary congress over the weekend in Ankara. After being reelected to the party helm, Mehmet Agar did not include the DYP deputies serving in Parliament on the list of party management staff. Shortly thereafter four of these seven deputies representing the DYP in Parliament – Denizli’s Ummet Kandogan, Afyon’s Reyhan Balindi, Igdir’s Dursun Akdemir and Erzurum’s Ibrahim Ozdogan – resigned from the party. With their action, the new breakdown of Parliament seats is as follows: Justice and Development Party (AKP): 356, Republican People’s Party (CHP): 162, Motherland Party (ANAP): 10, DYP: 3, Social Democrat People’s Party (SHP): 5, People’s Ascent Party (HYP): 1, independents: 11, vacant: 2. /Star/
STATE MINISTER AYDIN TO BE APPOINTED CHIEF COORDINATOR FOR EU NEGOTIATIONS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly planning to appoint State Minister Mehmet Aydin as the chief coordinator for Turkey’s European Union membership negotiations set to begin on Oct. 3. Erdogan is to give his final decision on the issue after the May 29 French referendum on the EU Constitution. While Erdogan himself will be the chief negotiator, Aydin is expected to act as a coordinator affiliated with the premier. /Cumhuriyet/
ARMENIAN FM: “THE TURKISH-ARMENIAN BORDER SHOULD BE OPENED”
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian yesterday stated that his country would be ready to research the so-called Armenian genocide allegations after relations between Turkey and Armenia are normalized. Remarking that he was expecting the Turkish-Armenian border to be opened, he added, “If an inter-governmental commission discusses the issue of normalizing bilateral relations, we can wait for six months. However, the border should be opened sooner or later. A commission under such an inter-governmental board might then be formed to discuss the genocide allegations.” /Milliyet/
PAPADOPOULOS: “THE TRNC’S GAZIMAGOSA PORT IS ILLEGAL”
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) Gazimagosa (Famagusta) port is illegal, Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopulos argued over the weekend. “The Gazimagosa port is illegal, so no goods can be imported there,” he claimed. “If TRNC officials try to do so, they would be violating the European Union’s Green Line regulation.” The TRNC government last week tried to transport cargo to Greek Cyprus, cargo sent to deputy government spokesman Marios Garoyan from Romania via Gazimagosa. However Papadopoulos argued that his government could not accept the cargo since the Turkish Cypriots were violating the Green Line by sending it from an “illegal port.” /Cumhuriyet/
VORKINK: “TURKEY SHOULD TAKE STEPS TO PROMOTE JOB CREATION”
Turkey should focus on creating more employment opportunities to sustain its rapid growth and safeguard its recent economic reforms, World Bank Turkey Director Andrew Vorkink said over the weekend. “While Turkey needs to remain committed to a broad-based macroeconomic and structural reform program, the need has come now to focus on the challenges ahead, the greatest of which is job creation,” Vorkink said. “Growing population is a positive factor to the country’s labor force, however jobs should be created more quickly to absorb the young population.” He added that Turkey should make employment rules more flexible, including employers’ ability to hire and fire staff. “Other steps might include cutting employment-related taxes, and ensuring wider access to unemployment insurance. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were lagging in productivity and they should be modernized.” /Aksam/
TOBB TO HOLD SECOND SME MEETING IN ISTANBUL
The Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) is to hold its second small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) meeting today in Istanbul. The first such meeting was held in February in Ankara. The meeting will be organized through the joint efforts of the TOBB, European Union Delegation to Turkey, Eurochambers, and Européenne de L'Artinasat et des Petites et Moyennes Enterprises (UEAPME), an organization representing European SMEs. Businessmen, scholars and NGO representatives are expected to attend the gathering, where the problems of the European and Turkish business worlds will be discussed. /Hurriyet/