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Turkish Press Review, 98-10-16
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
16.10.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] ESTONIAN PRESIDENT VISITS TURKEY
[02] TURKEY TO CELEBRATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF REPUBLIC
[03] TURKEY'S PRIVATIZATION DRIVE SUCCESSFUL
[04] FP DEPUTY ATAOGLU QUITS
[05] DRUG OPERATIONS IN ANTALYA
[06] 765 PIECES OF HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS SEIZED
[07] STATE SUMMIT IN HATAY
[08] US: "WE ARE AGAINST A KURDISH STATE"
[09] TWO TURKS IN LATIN NOTARIES' UNION
[10] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES INCREASE
[11] RUSSIA: "WE CANNOT FORGET TURKISH SUPPORT"
[12] FINANCING OF THE TURKSAT-2A SATELLITE
[13] ISTANBUL CANDIDATE FOR WORLD PETROLEUM CONGRESS
[14] CONFERENCE ON KEMALISM
[15] WORLD BANK DONATION TO GAP PROJECT
[16] CONFERENCE ON TURKEY IN LAUSANNE
[17] "TURKEY SHOULD BE MORE ACTIVE IN THE BALKANS"
[18] TEHRAN AND BAGHDAD SUPPORT THE PKK
[19] SCHROEDER KEEPS HIS WORD
[01] ESTONIAN PRESIDENT VISITS TURKEY
Estonian President Lennart Meri arrived in Ankara yesterday for a
three-day official visit aimed at boosting political and economic
cooperation between Turkey and Estonia. Speaking at the welcoming
ceremony, President Suleyman Demirel praised the current state of
Turco-Estonian relations, emphasizing that Turkey was one of the
most determined supporters of Estonia's efforts to join
Euro-Atlantic institutions. Demirel stressed that a free trade
agreement signed between Turkey and Estonia would contribute to
an increase in bilateral trade volumes and the establishment of a
free trade area covering the region between the Baltic and the
Black seas.
After completing his programme in Ankara, President Meri is
expected to meet with Turkish businessmen in Istanbul to explore
opportunities to improve trading and economic relations between
Turkey and Estonia. /All papers/
[02] TURKEY TO CELEBRATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF REPUBLIC
Turkey will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the
Republic with military and civilian parades, concerts, folklore
performances, dancing, ballet, fireworks and general festivities,
State Minister Cavit Kavak said yesterday. Kavak said
celebrations will take place in all provinces, including
Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, where major parades and concerts will
be given. The Foreign Ministry will hold festivities in other
countries. Turkey, Kavak said, has set aside $10 million for the
celebrations. The presidents of 16 nations and senior government
officials from 21 countries will take part in the celebrations,
Kavak added. /Hurriyet/
[03] TURKEY'S PRIVATIZATION DRIVE SUCCESSFUL
Turkey will have privatized $7.5 billion of state assets by the
end of this year, including energy industry tenders, just below
the $12 billion target, in spite of the global financial crisis,
the Syrian crisis and all the other negative conditions, Chairman
of the Privatization Administration Chairmanship (OIB) Ugur Bayar
has said. /All papers/
[04] FP DEPUTY ATAOGLU QUITS
Virtue Party (FP) Bingol Deputy Kazim Ataoglu quit his party
yesterday. With his resignation, the number of the FP's seats in
Parliament dropped to 144. /Hurriyet/
[05] DRUG OPERATIONS IN ANTALYA
During operations held in Antalya this year, 46.5 kilograms of
hashish have been seized, according to a statement made by the
Head of the Narcotic Department of Antalya Security Office. The
statement noted that during operations carried out in Antalya and
its districts in the first nine months of this year 46.5
kilograms of hashish, the market value of which totalled nearly
TL 18.5 billion have been confiscated, the Anatolia news agency
reports.
[06] 765 PIECES OF HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS SEIZED
During an operation carried out in Bolu, 765 pieces of historical
artifacts worth TL 5 trillion have been seized. Five smugglers
have been taken into custody regarding the incident.
During another operation carried out by members of the Security
Office in Ankara, 825 pieces of historical artifacts have been
confiscated. /Hurriyet/
[07] STATE SUMMIT IN HATAY
A state summit will be held in Hatay in the upcoming days.
President Suleyman Demirel will warn Syria again in the border
district of Samandag of Hatay. A visit to be paid by Demirel to
Hatay on Monday will also be attended by Parliament Speaker
Hikmet Cetin, Interior Minister Kutlu Aktas, Education Minister
Hikmet Ulugbay and Public Works Minister Yasar Topcu. /Hurriyet/
[08] US: "WE ARE AGAINST A KURDISH STATE"
The US government noted that concerns regarding the establishment
of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq were unnecessary and they
were against every initiative to that end. US government
officials said that they were against the establishment of a
Kurdish state in northern Iraq or anywhere else. US Embassy
officials in Ankara held a tele-conference for Turkish
journalists yesterday to express Washington's views regarding the
issues on the agenda. /Hurriyet/
[09] TWO TURKS IN LATIN NOTARIES' UNION
Two Turks have been elected to the Permanent Council of the
International Latin Notaries' Union. According to a statement
made by the Turkish Notaries' Union, the 22nd Ordinary General
Council of the International Latin Notaries' Union, which has
67-member countries, was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina
yesterday. /Hurriyet/
[10] FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES INCREASE
Central Bank foreign exchange reserves have reached $22.311
billion. According to Central Bank data, foreign exchange
reserves, which increased by $291 million on October 2-9, rose to
$22.311 on October 9. Turkey's total international gross reserves
increased by $855 million in one week and reached $33.765 billion
according to data dated September 25, 1998. Gold reserves
amounted to $1.125 billion while foreign exchange reserves in
commercial banks totalled $11.162 billion as of September 25.
/Hurriyet/
[11] RUSSIA: "WE CANNOT FORGET TURKISH SUPPORT"
Acting Speaker of Duma, sub-wing of the Russian Parliament,
Dr.Arthur Chilingarov, who visited the Turkish stand in the
International Fashion Fair held on October 12-15 in Moscow, noted
that they could not forget the support extended by Turkish
businessmen to Russia during the crisis period. Chilingarov said:
"We will also support Turkish businessmen".
Turkish Ambassador to Moscow Nabi Sensoy also visited the Turkish
firms in the fair and called on Turkish businessmen to continue
with their investments in Russia. /Hurriyet/
[12] FINANCING OF THE TURKSAT-2A SATELLITE
Turkish Telecommunications, a joint stock company which
established EURASIASAT S.A.M. with French company Aerospatiale
with start-up capital of $20 million, will be the guarantor of
the Turksat-2A satellite's $51.62 million short-term debt. This
decision was announced in the Official Gazette yesterday.
/Hurriyet/
[13] ISTANBUL CANDIDATE FOR WORLD PETROLEUM CONGRESS
Istanbul will be a candidate to host the 17th World Petroleum
Congress, to be held in 2003, according to an announcement from
Sitki Sancar, the World Petroleum Congress' (WPC) Turkish
National Committee chairman and president of the Turkish
Petroleum Corporation (TPAO). In his written statement released
to the Anatolia news agency, Sancar stated that national
committees representing members of the WPC will meet in January,
1999, to choose the location for the 2003 congress.
[14] CONFERENCE ON KEMALISM
Within the framework of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of
the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, Social Sciences
Faculty of Ankara University will organize a conference on 22-23
October on Kemalism. 81 scientists from 46 countries will attend
the conference, titled "Kemalism and Modern Turkey". /Sabah/
[15] WORLD BANK DONATION TO GAP PROJECT
State Minister Salih Yildirim said that the World Bank donated
$300,000 for the development of investments in the Southeast
Anatolia Project (GAP). Yildirim added that the donation would be
used for the "Sanliurfa-Harran Plains and Village Improvement
Project" prepared for the improvement of the infrastructure of
rural areas. He noted that with the coordination of the GAP
Regional Development Administration, an initial report has been
prepared by the Turkish SU-YAPI Engineering and Construction
Company and the US Oklahama State University about the project.
/Sabah/
[16] CONFERENCE ON TURKEY IN LAUSANNE
Within the scope of celebrations within the framework of 75th
anniversary of the proclamation of the republic a conference
titled the "Republic of Turkey from 1923 to 2023" will start
today in Lausanne, Switzerland. Speaker of the Parliament Hikmet
Cetin is going to make an opening speech of the conference, which
is organized by Turkish-European Academics Union. At night
Turkish Ambassador to Bern, Taner Baytok, will give a reception
at the historical Rumine Palace, where the Lausanne Treaty
discussions were made. /Milliyet/
[17] "TURKEY SHOULD BE MORE ACTIVE IN THE BALKANS"
Representative of the Kosovo Independency Front (UCK) and leader
of the Kosovo Parliament Party, Adem Demaci said that Turkey had
an important role in the Balkans adding that they wanted Turkey
to be more active in the region. Demaci noted that they welcomed
the Southeast European Countries' Summit held last week in
Antalya with the initiatives of Turkey and said that they need
more support from Turkey. Adem Demaci wanted Turkey to be a
leader in Kosovo issue in front of America and Europe.
/Cumhuriyet/
[18] TEHRAN AND BAGHDAD SUPPORT THE PKK
The second man after Ocalan in the PKK Semdin Sakik, said in his
statement he gave to the military court in Diyarbakir that Syria,
Iran and Iraq were in agreement concerning the PKK. Sakik said:
"They want from the PKK to carry on with the conflict. The price
of Ocalan's stay in Damascus is to continue shedding blood."
Noting that so long as he continued killing, the leader of the
PKK Abdullah Ocalan would live like kings in Damascus, Sakik
added that the terrorist organization was also supported by Iran
and Iraq. Sakik claimed that the PKK guarded the western
frontiers of Iran and the reason why Iran supported the PKK was
to establish an Islamic state in Turkey by deteriorating its
republic. Syria, Iran and Iraq were always in agreement in
supporting the PKK." /Milliyet/
[19] SCHROEDER KEEPS HIS WORD
Social Democrat Party(SPD), and the Union_90 Greeens have taken
an important step which would relieve foreigners in Germany and
close to a million Turkish citizens. They have agreed for a
reform in the Citizenship Law and accepted their becoming German
citizens without abandoning their original citizenship. Herta
Daeublir Gmelin on behalf of SPD and Kersin Muller on behalf of
the Greens in a joint press conference stated that they would
work for the foreigners to have equal rights. /Milliyet/
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