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Turkish Press Review, 06-07-13
From: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>
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Summary of the political and economic
news in the Turkish press this morning
13.07.2006
FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS
CONTENTS
[01] BTC PIPELINE PROJECT TO OFFICIALLY OPEN TODAY
[02] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ALIYEV: �WE SHOULD BOOST COOPERATION�
[03] ERDOGAN: �WE�RE MAKING EFFORTS TO EASE TENSION IN THE MIDEAST�
[04] IN WAKE OF DINK VERDICT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION URGES LEGAL CHANGES
[05] EC REPRESENTATIVE KRETSCHMER: �OPENING PORTS DOESN'T MEAN RECOGNITION�
[06] US PRAISES TRIPARTITE MEETINGS HELD ON CYPRUS
[07] YOUNG EUROPEAN BUSINESS LEADERS TO MEET IN ISTANBUL
[08] FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS
[09] STRATEGIC FORESIGHT BY SOLI OZEL (SABAH)
[01] BTC PIPELINE PROJECT TO OFFICIALLY OPEN TODAY
Leaders from Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia will gather at the
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, Turkey today to formally inaugurate the Baku-
Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline project designed to carry the oil riches of
the Caspian Sea to the West. The project,
hailed as the �Silk Road of the New Century,� with a capacity of 50 million
metric tons a year, is expected to become the main export route for the oil
resources of the Caspian Sea. The head of today�s ceremony, President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer, last night hosted a dinner for some 650 senior guests from
around the world visiting Turkey to attend the opening of the BTC,
including Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul, as well as Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok were also
present at the gathering. /Turkiye-Sabah/
[02] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ALIYEV: �WE SHOULD BOOST COOPERATION�
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev yesterday praised the excellent state of
Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, adding that they want to strengthen this
cooperation. Speaking at a ceremony where he received Ekovitrin Magazine's
"Eurasian Politician of the Year" award, Aliyev said that he wanted
relations between the two countries to develop more and hailed today�s
opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline as a momentous historical
event. Stating that Turkey and Azerbaijan are �one nation, two states,�
Aliyev added, �This is reality. At the same time, this is our policy.
Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are at the highest level. We want to increase
this cooperation. Our unity is our future.� /Hurriyet/
[03] ERDOGAN: �WE�RE MAKING EFFORTS TO EASE TENSION IN THE MIDEAST�
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday visited Malatya to attend his
Justice and Development Party (AKP) provincial congress and attend a number
of opening ceremonies. Speaking to fellow party members, Erdogan said that
Turkey could not be silent to the developments in the Mideast, adding that
they were trying to find a settlement to the violence in the region through
peaceful means. He also called on media to act responsibly on the Mideast
issue. /Turkiye/
[04] IN WAKE OF DINK VERDICT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION URGES LEGAL CHANGES
The European Union Commission yesterday expressed disapproval of an appeals
court upholding the conviction of journalist Hrant Dink for "insulting
Turkishness." EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn yesterday made a
statement calling on Ankara to change all articles of the Turkish Penal
Code (TCK) which restrict freedom of expression. �That verdict is the first
final one by Turkey�s top judicial level about the interpretation of TCK
Article 301," he said. "In this sense, it establishes a binding case law
that will set the trend for lower courts to follow when applying Article
301 in the future.� /Hurriyet/
[05] EC REPRESENTATIVE KRETSCHMER: �OPENING PORTS DOESN'T MEAN RECOGNITION�
Hansjoerg Kretschmer, the outgoing head of the European Commission
Representation to Turkey, stated yesterday that Turkey opening its ports to
Greek Cypriots is the European Union�s priority but that it doesn�t mean
recognizing Greek Cyprus. Speaking at a press conference in Ankara,
Kretschmer expressed disappointment in the sharp decline in polls of
Turkish public support for EU membership, adding that the reasons for this
should be explored. The European Commission representative maintained that
though a lot of attention was being focused on predictions of an upcoming
"train crash" between Turkey and the EU, and that certain delays may occur,
he didn�t believe that Turkey�s EU process would be interrupted.
Kretschmer�s tenure in Ankara is soon set to end. /Cumhuriyet/
[06] US PRAISES TRIPARTITE MEETINGS HELD ON CYPRUS
Washington has hailed the result of last weekend�s meetings between United
Nations Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari,
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat and
Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos. At a press conference Tuesday, US
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, �We welcome the result of
the meetings between Gambari, Papadopoulos and Talat,� adding, �We look
forward to the start of talks by the end of the month, as agreed by the
leaders, on both everyday and substantive issues. It was to be hoped that
the contacts would lead to the opening of comprehensive negotiations.� The
US is prepared to assist the UN and the two sides in this important effort
and will continue to encourage the parties to remain flexible and engaged,
McCormack said. /Milliyet/
[07] YOUNG EUROPEAN BUSINESS LEADERS TO MEET IN ISTANBUL
The Confederation of the European Young Businessmen Associations (YES),
representing some 40,000 people from 14 countries, will meet in Istanbul
tomorrow. During the two-day gathering, some 50 businesspeople will be
briefed on Turkey�s investment opportunities. State Minister for the
Economy and chief EU talks negotiator Ali Babacan is expected to tell these
leaders about Turkey�s economic progress and its efforts towards European
Union membership. /Sabah/
[08] FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS�FROM THE COLUMNS
[09] STRATEGIC FORESIGHT BY SOLI OZEL (SABAH)
Columnist Soli Ozel comments on the new Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and
Turkey�s importance in the region. A summary of his column is as follows:
�Writing a decade ago in the journal Foreign Policy, then US diplomat
Richard Holbrooke predicted that Turkey would be the front country in the
post-Cold War era. At that time, despite the massacres in Bosnia and Rwanda,
none of the conflicts were as great as the Cold War. Then two different
conflicts emerged and their fronts were shaped. One of them was the
international fight against terrorism that emerged following the Sept. 11,
2001 attacks. This terrorism causes conflict and confusion in Muslim
societies, and Turkey�s character as a secular, democratic, capitalist and
Muslim country in the Western alliance raised its profile. Almost
everything which is considered terrible according to public polls raised
Turkey�s importance. The fact that since late 2002 the country has been
governed by a party with Islamic roots which applies certain Western-
oriented policies contributed to this fact. In short, Turkey�s
secularization since the Ottoman Empire, the reforms which were implemented
for modernization, and the level of economic and political improvement that
it has reached have gradually come to the foreground. The second conflict
involves the issue of access to energy resources. While the demand for
energy rises along with prices, security in reaching and transporting
energy resources has become a top concern. In this respect, both the Middle
East, which has two-thirds of the world�s oil resources, and the region
surrounding the Caspian and Central Asia have gained importance. Turkey has
had a high profile due to its central geographical location, political
stability, relations of alliance, and political and social structure in
this new conflict as well.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline will greatly contribute to Turkey�s place
in world politics in terms of this new conflict. The BTC was completed
despite the resistance of oil companies as well as Russia and certain other
countries. This strategic project dates back nearly 14 years. The project
was first raised by late Azerbaijani President Abulfez Elchibey, evaluated
by late Turkish President Turgut Ozal in the strategic restructuring of the
new era, and former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel and the governments
in charge since then have safeguarded this project. In addition, the US
administrations provided vital support. Articles by Foreign Ministry
Undersecretary Ozdem Sanberk and Pars Kutay in Zaman daily tell the story
of the BTC in detail. According to them, the BTC project comes from a
system of integrated political thought and is no isolated project, but
rather a pillar of a multidimensional, long-term and comprehensive
strategy. It was foreseen not as an alternative to our country�s full
European Union membership bid, but as a move which would make it easier for
us to reach that goal by filling our sails with the wind that we get from
Eurasia. When the BTC is supported with the Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline and oil
and gas pipelines, the role played by Turkey in the European-Eurasian
integration will be further strengthened. But while protecting these goals,
we cannot continue the current confusion over Turkey�s role in the world
system.�
ARCHIVE
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