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Other News - Turkey
AZERBAIJAN'S ANTI-IRANIAN HYSTERIA REACHES TURKEY
/FEB 3/news.am/
Azerbaijanis will organize a protest action on Friday near the Iranian
embassy in Ankara.
The demonstrators intend to condemn Iran's interference with domestic
affairs of Azerbaijan on the pretext of ban on hijabs in the Azeri schools,
APA news agency reported referring to Azerbaijani-Turkish circle.
The demonstrators also plan to protest against Iran's support to Armenia
and Iranian policy towards Azerbaijani Turks.
About 30-40 members of the Congress of the World Azerbaijanis held an
action of protest on Wednesday near the Iranian Embassy in Baku. The
protestors filed a petition calling not to involve "certain Iranian forces
in Azerbaijan's domestic affairs". They also spoke against Azerbaijani
propaganda on "Seher" TV channel, insults against the Congress and oppsed
Armenia-Iran ties, Azerbaijani press reported.
PROTEST ACTION TO BE HELD IN FRONT OF IRANIAN EMBASSY IN
ANKARA
/FEB 3/Trend, Azerbaijan/
A joint Azerbaijani-Turkish protest will be held in front of the Iranian
embassy in Ankara on Friday, the Turkish-Azerbaijani support group said.
The rally participants will oppose Iran's interference in the internal
affairs of Azerbaijan, using the issue of hijab as a pretext.
The demand will be made to cease the support provided by Iran to Armenia,
which occupied Azerbaijan's lands, as well as violation of the rights of
Azerbaijanis living in Iran.
The protest action will begin at 10:45 (Ankara time).
Tehran, Ankara to boost trade to $30 billion
/FEB 6/IRNA/
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said here on Sunday that Iran and Turkey
will increase the value of their trade transactions to $30 billion within
next five years.
Salehi made the remark in a message to the 22nd meeting of Tehran-Ankara
Economic Commission which was attended by Turkish State Minister Cevdet
Yilmaz.
'Ankara is strengthening its relations with its neighboring countries,
particularly the Islamic Republic of Iran,' he added.
Salehi noted that the political and economic performance of Turkish
officials in recent years shows that they pay heed to improving their
relations with the regional countries.
'Given their ancient civilizations, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey
have experienced stable relations throughout history,' he added.
Salehi said that what is important is that Iran and Turkey have never been
indifferent towards their development.
EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
31/12/2010
Turkey Takes the Lead in Europe in Violations in 2010
Turkey ranks first among the number of countries convicted for rights
violations by the European Court of Human Rights in 2010. Russia is on
second position of the list of 47 countries. Main reasons for Turkey's
convictions were the fairness or the length of trials.
Erhan Ã`STÃ`NDAÄ? [email protected] Strasbourg BÄ°A News Center
31 January 2011, Monday
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Among 47 countries under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, Turkey ranks at the top position regarding the
number of convictions in 2010.
The court decided 278 files of applicants from Turkey. 228 of these cases
comprised violations of at least one article of the European Convention on
Human Rights, the court announced. Only nine files concerning Turkey did
not include any violation of rights as ruled by the ECHR.
Turkey is followed by Russia (217 judgments), Romania (143) and the Ukraine
(109).
Too much even for the ECHR
At the same time, the work load of the ECHR has considerably increased
according to the court's statement.
"Approximately 139,650 applications were pending before a judicial
formation on 1 January 2011. More than half of these applications had been
lodged against one of four countries: Russia, Turkey, Romania or Ukraine",
the court announced. 10.9 percent of all applications come from Turkey.
In 2010, the ECHR considered a total of 41,000 applications. 1,499
decisions came out of 2,607 applications.
37 percent of all decisions made by the Strasbourg court were related to
violations of the right to a fair trial. Decisions regarding Turkey were
mostly based on violations in aspect to the fairness and the length of
trials. (EÃ`/EÃ-/VK)
Click here to view the ECHR facts sheet.
Turkey aims for 20 nuclear reactors by 2030
/FEB 1/ifandp.com/by IFandP Newsroom/
http://www.ifandp.com/article/009378.html
Turkey plans to build 20 nuclear reactors by 2030 to produce electricity
and at the same time, reduce its dependence on oil and gas imports,
according to Metin Kilci, Energy Ministry Undersecretary. `We want a
minimum 20 reactors in operation by 2030. This may not be our formalised
plan, but it is our target,' Energy Ministry Undersecretary Metin Kilci
told Reuters on Friday.
The country's first nuclear power station will be built on the Mediterranean
with assistance of Russia-based Rosatom. In addition, officials are in
talks with Japan's Toshiba and the Japanese government on building a second
unit at Sinop, on the Black Sea. Kilci said that the government wants to
complete an agreement with Japanese officials by the end of March. Energy
Minister Taner Yildiz has said that French utilities GDF Suez and EDF have
also expressed interest in the construction of the Black Sea plant. Each
power plant will have four reactors and represents an investment of around
US$20bn. It is not clear to what extent the Turkish state will have a stake
in the plants.
Assassination attempt plotted against Turkey's chief
nationalist?
/FEB 3/Tert.am/
Turkish law enforces have said that an assassination attempt may be plotted
against the country's chief nationalist Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the
Nationalistic Turkey Party, and the leader of the party's faction in
parliament, Oktay Vural, the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.
Bahceli's bodyguards have been reportedly invited to the police department.
They were told that Vural and other high ranking representatives of the
party have been included in the list of the Revolutionary People's
Liberation Party (DHKP/C).
DHKP/C is a terrorist organization in Turkey. Following the warning,
stronger security measures were reportedly undertaken to protect Bahceli
from possible attacks.
French Senate website becomes available in Turkish
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/FEB 3/Tert.am/
The French Senate has launched a Turkish language section for its official
website.
The initiative has been supported by the chairman of the French Senate,
Gerard Larcher.
Besides French, the website is also available in English, German, Spanish,
Portuguese, Arabic, Russian and Chinese.
Al Jazeera to expand reach to Turkey
/FEB 3/mediamughals.com/By Media Mughals/
http://www.mediamughals.com/News/1/1/Article/6834/Al_Jazeera_to_expand_reac
h_to_Turkey.htm
Al Jazeera has decided to expand its reach further to Turkey by launching a
Turkish news channel. Al Jazeera has offered Cine 5 television channel a
whooping amount of $21 million to acquire the Turkish news channel.
On Monday, the bid by Al Jazeera was the only bid for Cine 5 television
channel which had previously been seized by the government. It was the
fifth time that the channel was auctioned yet Al Jazeera's offer was just
above half the appraisal rate of $40 million, decided by the Savings
Deposit and Insurance Fund (SDIF) said a report in the Hurriyet Daily News.
Riots in Turkey can affect tourism sector
/FEB 4/Aysor.am/
The Associated Press reports that police in Ankara broke up a march of a
several thousand irate workers heading for the Turkish Parliament Thursday.
The workers were protesting proposed government legislation they believe
will strip them of many of their rights. Turkish riot police used pepper
spray and water cannons to stop the crowd bent on marching to Parliament.
The AP report states that workers responded with sticks, stones and eggs
hurled at the cops.
The proposed legislation, opposed by Turkish trade unions, would allow
employers to relocate some workers against their will, make workers, not
employers, financially responsible for health insurance premiums, and allow
employers to employ interns and apprentices for four months without pay.
The Egypt uprising also started with small demonstrations, turistRBK.ru
says. Riots in Turkey can affect tourism sector, the source reports.
Turkey upsets EU with 'fascist' slur
/FEB 4/AFP/
Egemen Bagis, minister for European Union affairs:"The EU, founded in order
to eliminate the threats of that period to peace, is today at risk of being
overtaken by a racist mentality that... emulates the fascist methods of
1930s."
BRUSSELS (AFP)---A claim by a Turkish minister that the EU risks falling
victim to "the facist methods of the 1930s" has drawn a request for
clarification, the European Union said Thursday.
Ankara's minister for European Union affairs and its chief negotiator in
enlargement talks with the bloc, Egemen Bagis, said at a Holocaust
commemoration at Auschwitz this week that the union was at risk from
racism.
"The EU, founded in order to eliminate the threats of that period to peace,
is today at risk of being overtaken by a racist mentality that... emulates
the fascist methods of 1930s," he said.
"Turkish people, implicitly or openly, are being told this: 'You are
different and you have no place among us'."
The EU Commissioner for enlargement Stefan Fuele asked the minister "to
explain his words," said Fuele's spokeswoman Natascha Butler.
Bagis explained that his statement aimed to highlight "the rising role of
some extremist groups" in Europe which threatened to lower tolerance across
the continent, she said.
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Extreme-right Islamophobic parties have been notching up political
victories across the EU recently.
Fuele was "grateful for this clarification," the spokeswoman said.
Asked whether they were misplaced, she said "the words could have been
better chosen... given the timing and location."
Bagis also said that the best response to racists "would be to support and
adopt the values of the European Union and principles of democracy more.
The only remedy for this distorted mentality is Turkey's accession to the
EU."
Obama again calls Erdogan
/FEB 5/Tert.am/
US President Barack Obama has made the second phone call in the recent days
to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish news agency Anadolu
Agency reported, citing a press release by the White House.
The parties discussed the recent developments in Egypt and agreed on
continuing consultations over the issue.
Egypt was shaken by a wave of protest for more than a week now, following
the uprising in Tunisia.
The protesters demand that President Hosni Mubarak step down immediately,
but he says he cannot leave Egypt "in chaos".
PKK LEADER ABDULLAH OCALAN CALLS FOR AN EGYPTIAN-STYLE
UPRISING THEDESTINY OF KURDS IN TURKEY AND IRAQ ARE THE SAME
/FEB 5/Gibrahayer/By Hawar Baziyan/
GlobalHye - Abdullah Ocalan, the detained leader of the Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK), called on Kurds in Turkey to stage Egyptian-wise uprising for
obtaining their rights, while he stressed destinies of Kurds in Iraq and
Turkey are bound to each other.
The Kurdish Firat news agency, close to the PKK, cited Ocalan as
recommending the protest rally in his weekly meeting with his lawyers
Friday.
"When millions of Kurds took into streets, demanding their rights
unanimously, Turkey will be forced to step forward," Ocalan was quoted by
his lawyers.
The leader of the militant organization was caught in Nairobi in 1999 and
repatriated to Turkey. Currently, he is serving prison sentence in Imrali
Island in Turkey.
Commenting on the role of the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (a Kurds by
descent) as a mediator between the Turkish government and the PKK, Ocalan
said though he does not mean threatening any party "no Kurd in the southern
Kurdistan (the Kurdistan Region) will feel safe if the rights of Kurds are
not admitted in northern Kurdistan (the Kurdish area in Turkey)."
Kurds are geographically divided mainly in four countries of Iran, Iraq,
Turkey and Syria. Nevertheless, only in Iraq (the Kurdistan Region) they
enjoy a semi-autonomous administration. Elsewhere they are subjugated and
their rights denied.
Since 1984, the PKK has staged armed campaign against Turkey, as it claims,
for the recognition of ethnic rights of roughly 20 million Kurds.
Ocalan's call for a Kurdish rising comes after 13 days of nationwide
protest demos that have swept across Egypt, leading the three decade ruler,
Hosni Mubarak, to step down, for now, from the presidency of his party.
Similar upheavals in Tunisia led another long-serving president, Zain alAbedin bin Ali to flee for fear of his life and give way for replacement.
In Rebuff to Israel, Davotuglu Boycotts Conference
/FEB 7/Asbarez/
ANKARA (Today's Zaman)'Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davotuglu boycotted a
session the international conference on security in Munich over the weekend
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citing the presence of a high-level Israeli officials and saying he does
not attend meetings attended by officials of the Jewish State.
Uzi Arad, national security adviser for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, was among participants of the session together with DavutoÄ?lu.
The foreign minister said he does not attend any meetings attended by
Israeli officials because of Israel's refusal to apologize for a deadly
attack on an aid ship last May 31 which resulted in the death of eight
Turks and one Turkish-American.
While DavutoÄ?lu refused to attend the discussion, Osman Korutürk of the
opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) did attend instead. DavutoÄ?lu
said he could not interfere with other politicians' decisions about what
meeting to attend but made it clear that he would have advised Korutürk
not to attend as Turkey's position against Israel should be a united one,
reported the Today's Zaman.
DavutoÄ?lu spoke to Today's Zaman en route to Turkey from Munich, where he
attended an international conference on security on Saturday. In Munich, he
met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. DavutoÄ?lu said his meeting
with Clinton was a follow-up to a phone conversation on Friday between
ErdoÄ?an and US President Barack Obama.
Christians Convicted of 'Insulting Turkey' Appeal Ruling
/FEB 7/CBNNews.com Monday/
Ad Feedback Two Turkish Christians are challenging a judge's ruling that
they pay more than $7,000 in fines or face jail time "insulting
Turkishness."
Authorities originally charged Turan Topal and Hakan Tastan in 2006 with
insulting Turkey and its people by spreading the Gospel. The pair were
later acquitted of those charges but eventually convicted of a lesser
offense.
Tastan told CBN News that Turkish authorities were trying to discourage
Christian evangelism in in the predominately Muslim nation.
"They are trying to stop Turks in this country, citizens in this country
from having the freedom to choose Christ," he said. "Even though legally
they have this freedom, they are trying to use my case as a precedent for
others to say you don't have this personal choice. This is definitely the
goal of why they've opened this case against me."
The men are appealing to Turkey's high court and say they're prepared to go
to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.
Arab world unready to endorse Turkey's regional leadership
/FEB 12/PanARMENIAN.Net/
Ankara's early reaction to the developments in Egypt could be in Turkey's
interest; the regime change in Egypt would undoubtedly raise Turkey's
growing prestige on the Arab streets, Professor Mensur Akgun stated.
Mubarak resigned as president and handed control to the military after 29
years in power, bowing to a historic 18-day wave of pro-democracy
demonstrations by hundreds of thousands, The Associated Press reported.
Amid speculation that the crisis in Egypt was bringing a rivalry for
regional leadership between Turkey and Egypt out in the open, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's calls for Mubarak to go immediately have
been well-received by the Egyptian activists gathered in Cairo's central
Tahrir (Liberation) Square.
`Turkey will benefit from the position it has adopted on the uprising in
Egypt. The prime minister will not keep the points in his pocket alone.
That demonstrates that Turkish politics are being embraced by the countries
in the region,' said Akgun.
Support for Turkey in the Arab world increased by 5 percent points in 2010,
up from 75 percent in 2009, according to a recent survey, Akgun said.
The Arab response to Erdogan's support for the Egyptian protesters' demands
does not necessarily mean, however, that there is an endorsement of
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Turkey's regional leadership, said Recep Boztemur, head of the Middle East
Studies Center at Middle East Technical University. `These are two separate
issues,' he noted. `Prime Minister Erdogan has been addressing the
populace. He did this during the government crisis in Lebanon last month
and also in the Egypt crisis. However, receiving public support and playing
a leadership role are two different things,' Hurriyet Daily News cited him
as saying.
134 senior Turkish servicemen detained
/FEB 12/Tert.am/
At a trial session in the Baliozi (Big hammer) case yesterday, a Turkish
court issued arrest warrants for all 186 defendants. Satisfying the
prosecutor's motion, however, a subsequent decision was made to arrest 163
of them.
Turkish newspaper Vatan reported that 134 defendants ` including retired
and serving generals- were arrested in the courtroom. Among the detainees
are former commander of the Turkish army corps Cetin Dogan, former army
commander, retired admiral Ozden Ornek, retired general Ibrahim Firtina and
retired general of the first army corpse Ergin Saygun, as well as admirals
Kadir Sagdic, Mehmet OtuzbiroÄ?lu , Mehmet Fatih Ä°lger and generals
Yurdaer Olcan, Abdullah Dalay, Ihsan Balabanli, Ali Semih Cetin and others.
The suspects are accused of "attempting to overthrow the Turkish government
by the use of force" and "joining an armed group". The first court hearing
was held on December 16, 2010.
Earlier, the Turkish court had repealed the decision on detaining the
senior servicemen.
Kurds attack Erdogan's party headquarters
/FEB 12/Tert.am/
The supporters of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rallied last evening in
different districts of Istanbul, CNN Turk reported.
At the protests dedicated to the 12th anniversary of PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan's arrest, the demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails to one of the
Istanbul-based headquarters of the country's ruling Justice and Development
party which is headed by the Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The assault reportedly caused a slight material damage to the building.
The Kurdish rebels also threw a Molotov cocktail at a supermarket in
Istanbul, setting the building on fire.
They are also reported to have dropped a sound bomb at a bank in the
country's largest city.
The leader of the Kurdistan Worker Party, Abdullah Ocalan, was arrested on
February 15, 1999.
Since then Kurdish rebels have been holding protests in Istanbul every year
in February.
Turkey: court orders arrest of 163 suspects in Sledgehammer
case
/FEB 12/Aysor.am/
A Turkish court late Friday evening ordered arrest of 163 suspects in the
Sledgehammer coup case, a subversive plot allegedly prepared by a clique
inside the military that included plans to crash Turkish jets and bomb
large mosques at busy prayer hours to undermine the Justice and Development
Party (AK Party) with the hope of eventually overthrowing it.
133 of the suspects including former Air Forces Commander Gen. Halil
Ä°brahim Fırtına and former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Ã-zden Ã-rnek
were arrested in the courthouse on Friday. The court issued arrest warrants
about 30 suspects who did not attend in the trial including former 1st Army
head retired Gen. Ã?etin DoÄ?an.
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The arrests came on Friday during a hearing of the Sledgehammer case. The
case is being heard at the Ä°stanbul 10th High Criminal Court, Today's
Zaman reports.
IRAN, TURKEY TO TRIPLE TRADE EXCHANGES BY 2015
/FEB 14/PanARMENIAN.Net/
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Turkish counterpart President
Abdullah Gul agreed on February 14 to increase Tehran-Ankara bilateral
trade exchanges to $30bln a year from the current amount of $10bln.
The two Presidents made the announcement during their joint press
conference in Tehran.
Referring to the growing relations between the two nations, President
Ahmadinejad termed Iran-Turkey relations as profound, durable and
brotherly.
"Bilateral trade exchanges exceeded $10bln last year and now we are
determined to bolster the amount to $30bln through all-out cooperation,"
the President noted.
President Gul, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived in Tehran on
February 14 on a four-day visit at the invitation of his Iranian
counterpart.
The Turkish president received an official welcome from his Iranian
counterpart this morning, IRNA reported.
TURKEY WILL REQUEST ARMENIA'S SUPPORT FOR ITS OSCE SECRETARY
GENERAL CANDIDATE
/FEB 14/PanARMENIAN.Net/
Turkish President Abdullah Gul plans to request his Armenian counterpart
Serzh Sargsyan to support Turkey's candidate for OSCE Secretary General.
Turkey's candidate, ambassador Ersin Ercin will personally hand the letter
to President Sargsyan in March.
According to Haberturk, the diplomat characterized President Gul's letter
as a gesture of goodwill towards Armenia.
Ercin faces a challenge from three EU candidates: Ursula Plassnik, the
former foreign minister of Austria; Lamberto Zannier, a career Italian
diplomat currently in charge of the U.N. mission in Kosovo; and Joao Soares
from Portugal, the former head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Current OSCE Secretary-General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut's term in office
is set to expire in 2011.
SUPPORT TO TURKEY'S CANDIDATE FOR OSCE SECRETARY GENERAL
IMPOSSIBLE FOR YEREVAN
/FEB 14/PanARMENIAN.Net/
Support to Turkey's candidate for OSCE Secretary General is impossible for
Yerevan.
A source in Armenia's diplomatic circles told PanARMENIAN.Net that support
is provided to a friendly country, while Turkey is not a friendly one.
"Turkey applied with a similar request for several times, but was
rejected," the source said.
Turkish media reported that President Abdullah Gul plans to request his
Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to support Turkey's candidate for OSCE
Secretary General, while Turkey's candidate, ambassador Ersin Ercin will
personally hand the letter to President Sargsyan in March.
Turkey: Apology, compensation for flotilla raid red line
/FEB 14/Aysor.am/
Turkey on Tuesday insisted Israel should issue an apology for the killing
of nine pro-Palestinian activists during the IDF raid of the Gaza-bound
flotilla ship, the Mavi Marmara, in May 2010.
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According to Jpost.com, a Turkish diplomat told journalists in Ankara that
"We expect that the UN investigation will be balanced, and that Israel and
Turkey will get out of it what we are seeking. An apology and compensation,
however, constitute a red line for us."
Iran-Turkey trade exchange level can increase to 50 billion
dollars
/FEB 15/IRNA/
Isfahan - A member of Turkey's Chamber of Commerce said here that IranTurkey trade exchange is not satisfactory and can increase to 50 billion
dollars.
In a meeting here to discuss trade and investment opportunities between
Isfahan and Turkey, Hossein Isolmaz, referring to the trade exchange level
between Iran with Germany and France, said that the figure of 4 billion
dollars for Iran-Turkey trade is very low and it should increase.
He added that Turkey, in recent years, has witnessed a noticeable progress
in the field of technology and Iran has appropriate infra-structures, so
economic cooperation between the two countries can create common interest
and a good export market for both countries.
He said that Turkey's Chamber of Commerce and Trade is ready to cooperate
with their Iranian counterparts and added that, in the fields of industry
and tourism, there are good opportunities for cooperation between Isfahan
and Turkey.
Isfahan deputy governor general in planning affairs, for his part,
expounded on Isfahan situation and said that the province has more than 8
thousand industrial plants and 300 active mines and attracts hundreds of
thousands of tourists annually.
Alireza Hamedanian said Isfahan export level is around two billion dollars
and added that the figure will reach 2.5 billion dollars by the end of the
year and continued that capacity for economic cooperation between the
province with Turkey's businessmen can reach 10 billion dollars.
The participants in the meeting formed 19 specialized panels to discuss
trade and economic cooperation.
The Turkish delegation is accompanying President Abdullah Gul during his
visit to Iran.
Jordan Signs Nuclear Power Cooperation Agreement With Turkey
/FEB 17/bloomberg.net/By Nayla Razzouk/
Jordan, which plans to build its first nuclear reactor later thisdecade,
signed an agreement with Turkey on cooperating to develop atomic energy.
`Jordan will benefit from the distinguished Turkish experience in
developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes,' Energy and Mineral
Resources Minister Khalid Touqan said today in the capital, Amman.
Touqan signed the accord with Zafer Alper, president of the Turkish Atomic
Energy Authority.
Jordan relies almost entirely on imported energy and is turning to nuclear
power to meet increasing electricity demand. It plans to build reactors by
2019 and will choose a supplier of its first nuclear plant by April, Touqan
said last year. It has signed nuclear-cooperation agreements with 11
countries, most recently with Italy on Feb. 14.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nayla Razzouk in Amman at
[email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at
[email protected]
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