EU-DIGEST

Erdoğan, in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro published on Tuesday, noted that Sarkozy had visited Turkey when he was a young man and said he would urge him to visit Turkey to try to win him over to the prospect of Turkey joining the EU. “He should come and see today’s Turkey,” Erdoğan said, suggesting that during this visit Sarkozy would see that Turkey has been more progressive in certain fields than many members of the EU.
Erdoğan did so, and Sarkozy accepted his invitation to come to Turkey and see its progress for himself, noting that he may visit after November.
During both visits, the French, German and Turkish sides stuck to their own positions concerning the eventual goal of Turkey’s membership negotiations with Brussels. Also during both visits, the sides avoided using harsh language towards each other publicly and mostly focused on messages of improving bilateral relations.

For more: Will Cappadocia be on Sarkozy’s itinerary during Turkish visit?

Labels: EU, France, Turkey

Labels: Tourism, Turkey

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the United States on April 12th and 13th could be the occasion for a trilateral summit with the US and Armenia, Erdogan said in Paris Wednesday (April 7th). The meeting with US President Barack Obama and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan could take place during an international summit on nuclear security. Turkey and Armenia signed protocols in October 2009 on dialogues aimed at normalizing ties.

For more: Armenia, Turkey, US could hold summit (SETimes.com)

Labels: Armenia, Turkey, US

Turkey and Greece agreed Thursday a series of measures to intensify bilateral contacts and bring their militaries closer, vowing commitment to overcome their long-standing rivalry.

The measures, announced by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Greece's visiting Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, were agreed ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Athens, expected in mid-May.

"We want to base our ties on a brand new concept" of cooperation, Davutoglu told a joint news conference, adding that he and Droutsas discussed the need for a mutual cut of defense expenditures.

For more: Middle East Online

Labels: EU, Greece, Turkey

Labels: Turkey

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to France on Tuesday to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy and take part at the closing ceremony of the "Season of Turkey" events in Paris.

On Tuesday evening, Erdogan will watch the concert "Musenna", a music and dance show that combines European baroque and Ottoman music, which marks the end of nine-month-long Season of Turkey activities held to promote Turkish culture in France.

The "Season of Turkey" events began in July, 2009 and had a (positive) impact on relations between Turkey and France.

"Season of Turkey" events took place in 70 French cities and included over 400 special events to promote Turkey in France.

For more: PM to join closing ceremony of Turkey events in France [ WORLD BULLETIN- TURKEY NEWS, WORLD NEWS ]

Labels: EU, Turkey

Turkish police on Thursday detained around 20 people in connection to an alleged plot to topple the Islamist-rooted government, and the detainees included retired and active military officers, state media said.

The operation was part of an investigation into the "Ergenekon" network, an alleged right-wing militant group that prosecutors say had planned to overthrow Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party government, broadcaster NTV said. State-run news agency Anatolian said the detentions took place in eight cities and that the operation was still going on.

For more: Turkey Detains 20 People In Coup Plot Case - Media - NYTimes.com

Labels: Turkey

Revenues from Cyprus's vital tourism sector dipped 5.7 percent in the first two months signalling another rocky year for the Mediterranean island's economy.

The average daily spending by tourists in February was 62.2 euros - and the Swedes spend the least.

The Irish were the biggest spenders at 168 euros a day, while the Swedish were the most frugal, spending just 39.1 euros a day on average.

Income from tourism makes up 12 percent of gross domestic product. On the back of disappointing tourism income, the Cyprus economy contracted by 1.7 percent in 2009 to end decades of robust growth.

For more: Swedish tourists tightest on Cyprus

Labels: Cyprus, EU, Tourism, Turkey

The Turkish president saw on Sunday Africa as Turkey's strategic partner. Turkey's President Abdullah Gül said he considered Africa Turkey's strategic partner, and he would meet high-level executives and his counterparts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

For more:Turkish president sees Africa as Turkey's strategic partner

Labels: Turkey

Labels: Armenian Genocide, China, Turkey, US, US Congress

Labels: Armenia, Turkey

Eren Keskin is vice-president of the Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) and former president of its Istanbul branch. In 2005, she was awarded the Esslingen-based Theodor Haecker Prize for Civic Courage and Political Integrity. In a column for the Armenian weekly she wrote: " In 2005, there was a conference in Istanbul. The intellectuals who organized this conference, known as “the Armenian Conference,” wrote in the call for papers: “The orders that led to the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of people, and the death and murder of many of them in and after 1915 were, after all, given and executed by a government of the Ottoman Empire (which is not identical to the present Turkish Republic).”

I think that the crucial difference in mentality lies in the parantheses above. I believe that the ideology of the perpatrators of the Armenian Genocide, the Committee of Union and Progress, and its special organization Teskilat-i Mahsusa, are the “founding ideology” of the Turkish Republic. For years I have been arguing that the main problem in Turkey is militarism; that the “red lines” and thereby the fear it creates in society leads to totalitarianism; that miltarism is the biggest obstacle to the de-militarization of “internal and external” politics; and that the legislative, executive, and judicial institutions are wholly under the influence and coercion of militarism. I, and a few other people who agree on this, have been under constant pressure because of our thoughts.

Just when the “normalization of the relationships” between Turkey and Armenia were being discussed, the Turkish High Court made a decision that showed how difficult it was to change things: It ruled that anybody who “suffered mentally” because of what writer Orhan Pamuk had said in an interview—namely, that “we killed 1.5 million Armenians”—could sue Pamuk for pain and suffering. That ruling revealed once again the real stance of the Turkish Republic—that it is still dependent on militarism."

Labels: Armenia, Turkey

First it was a shoe which barely missed George Bush in Iraq, this time it was a man who threw his shoe at Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Seville, Spain, on Monday evening.

The 20-year-old protester shouted "Viva Kurdistan" as he made the attack, although he missed his target and his shoe hit Mr Erdogan's bodyguard. The attacker was taken into custody.

Note EU-Digest: In the past several days, Turkey’s long-simmering military/Islamist tension surfaced yet again. On Monday night, dozens of serving and retired officers were arrested, including some of the country's highest-ranking former generals and admirals. Speaking separately about the plot and the arrests, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (on a visit to Spain) and President Abdullah Gül took pains to wave off any claim of the ruling government's involvement in the arrests, putting the responsibility for the investigations and arrests back on criminal prosecutors.

The Turkish military clings to its role as protector of the modern Turkish state, established by the father of modern, secular Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, against domestic and international enemies, intervening to depose three elected governments and executing prime minister Adnan Menderes, the leader of Turkey's first opposition party, in 1961.

In addition, Turkey continues to be split between modern secularists and devout Muslims, who press for a religious texture to their state. The continuing effect of Turkey's long-term repression of its Kurdish population (derisively labeled "Mountain Turks" by the government); a deep, centuries-old suspicion of Greece; and the attendant conflict over Cyprus, and a continuing animosity between Turks and Armenians that reaches back (at least in the modern era) to Turkish pograms against its subject Armenian population during World War I are further problems.

For more: BBC News - Shoe thrown at Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Labels: Islamists, Military, Secularism, Turkey

Labels: EU, Turkey

Labels: Bulgaria, EU, Turkey

France hopes that Airbus and the seven governments which ordered the A400M military transport plane can agree new financing terms to save the troubled program by the end of the week, the defense minister said Monday.

Herve Morin told journalists that the positions of the seven countries — Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey — and Airbus parent company EADS appear to be converging. "As it stands today we have the perspective in our minds to reach an agreement by the end of the week," he said.

The advanced and ultra sophisticated four-engine turboprop is seen as occupying an important niche market between the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules, which carries only half the payload, and Boeing's C-17 Globemaster III, which is larger, costlier, and less tactically versatile. Once in full production this aircraft is expected to become a top seller for Airbus.

France Hopes for Deal on Military Plane This Week - ABC News

Labels: A400 military transport aircraft, Aircraft Industry, Belgium, Britain, EU, France, Germany, Luxembourgh, Spain, Turkey

While most Arab states are basking in their impotence and bickering amongst themselves over a long list of issues, Turkey is slowly, but definitely, asserting itself as a leading power in the Middle East, besides Israel and Iran.

Turkey, especially under the rule of Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been taking, and continues, to take strident steps in expanding its influence eastward, effectively grooming itself for the auspicious title of the leading state in the Sunni Muslim world. The Turks are filling a certain psychological-strategic vacuum in the Middle East, especially the Arab region. To be sure, this vacuum was created mostly as a result of the receding influence of traditional Arab powers, such as Egypt, which has become very much a stagnant, non-aspiring entity, thanks to its crippling subservience to the US.

While carefully maintaining relations with Israel, for certain practical necessities, Erdogan has made it blatantly clear to the leaders of Israeli that the future of Turkey's relations with the Jewish state would very much depend on Israeli behavior, especially toward Palestinians.

For more: Rising Turkey Versus Receding Arabs - IslamOnline.net - Politics in Depth

Labels: Turkey

Labels: Cut Flowers, Flower Industry, Turkey

Pakistan Observer - Newspaper online edition - Article

"Whiter dream of US of Europe?

Khalid Saleem

One was contemplating the future of the Turkish quest for membership of Europe when one became cognizant of the fissures in the façade of the European Union itself. Despite the frenetic efforts to spruce up the image of unity, the dream of a ‘United States of Europe’ appears to be as distant as it ever was. The Turks have been overly keen to be accepted as part of Europe for as long as one can remember. Their quest gained added momentum after the fall of the Berlin Wall. But as of now a pall of gloom looms over the Turkish aspirations in this direction. In fact, a Turkish friend in a message the other day cast cynical doubts over the possibility of the very survival of the European Union itself beyond a decade or two."

Labels: EU, Turkey

Labels: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Regional Politics, Turkey

Spectacular fireworks displays and cultural performances will mark the launch of Istanbul's year as one of three European Capitals of Culture.

The prestigious title gives cities the opportunity and funding to showcase and enrich their cultural life. For Turkey, which is struggling to fulfil its longstanding aim of becoming a member of the European Union, the title has particular significance.

Istanbul competed fiercely with the Ukrainian capital Kiev to win this title, the last time it will be offered to a non-EU member. The two other winners were Pecs in Hungary and Essen in Germany.

With its rich heritage of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history and its pulsating contemporary urban life, Istanbul is already recognized as one of the world's great cultural capitals.

For more - BBC News - Istanbul becomes one of Europe's Capitals of Culture

Labels: Capital of Culture, EU, Turkey

If you see this man (Saban Baran) in Antalya, Turkey or anywhere else, report him to the police ! He is a convicted criminal and wanted by the Netherlands Judicial System.

A convicted people trafficker who has forced more than 100 women into prostitution in the Netherlands escaped from Dutch detention while on special leave has been discovered in Turkey by the daily Newspaper De Telegraaf. The paper reports that the Dutch/Turkish criminal, Saban Baran is running a nightclub in the Turkish resort of Antalya.

The Netherlands' public prosecutor's office has said it is unable to confirm the report, but De Telegraaf claims that Dutch justice authorities knew as early as November where B. was hiding. The prosecutors say it is impossible to force Baran's return to the Netherlands, because Turkey does not extradite its own subjects.

Saban escaped in September when he was on special leave, ostensibly to visit his girlfriend and baby. The court decision to grant the man leave caused an uproar, and the judges later admitted they had underestimated the risk that Saban would run away. Several of his victims went into hiding when it became clear that the trafficker was at large.

Dutch talk show stations are questioning why the Turkish authorities are not jailing Saban. The Netherlands are aware that Turkey does not repatriate its nationals to other countries, but the Turkish authorities who know that he is considered an international criminal should at least put him in jail and not be allowed to run a night club.

Labels: criminal law, EU, The Netherlands, Turkey

AFP

"EU to quiz France over pressure on Renault

(AFP) – 2 hours ago

BRUSSELS — The EU competition watchdog said Thursday it would seek explanations from France about its pressure to prevent car maker Renault from moving production of its Clio models to Turkey.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said she had instructed her office to contact the French authorities to seek explanations after they sought to pressure Renault not to shut down factories at home."

Labels: EU, France, Renault, Turkey

Europe is no stranger to the concept of shifting boundaries and neither is its pride and joy, the European Union. What started in 1951 as a vow among six continental countries to be allies rather than enemies, has evolved into a 27-nation force to be reckoned with, an elite club with a waiting list from which it can pick and choose at will.

Over the past two decades, countries have fallen over themselves implementing the kinds of economic, political and social reforms necessary to secure themselves a coveted place at the EU table. And although there is still space around that table, it is getting tighter.

There are currently only two countries engaged in accession talks - Croatia and Turkey - and while experts predict Croatia is likely to be invited into the Union in the next couple of years, the issue of Turkish membership is intrinsically more complex.

Could the EU of the future become a global alliance? | World | Deutsche Welle | 08.01.2010

Labels: Croatia, EU, EU enlargement, European Unity, Turkey

Labels: EU, Germany, Turkey

According to Spanish Ambassador to Turkey Joan Clos, the geo-strategic benefits of Turkey’s eventual accession to the European Union are overemphasized. Clos, whose country took over the six-month-long rotating presidency of the EU from Sweden on Jan. 1, believes that arguments over Turkey’s EU bid should not be based on interests.

For more: Spain’s Clos: Turkey’s EU accession should be a love affair, not a marriage of interests

Labels: EU, Turkey

Bulgaria is threatening to block Turkey's application to join the European Union unless it pays out billions of euros in compensation for displaced people, in a case dating back to the days of the Ottoman Empire.
ons of euros in compensation for displaced people, in a case dating back to the days of the Ottoman Empire.
Bojidar Dimitrov a Bulgarian cabinet minister without portfolio who runs the country's Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, pressed the claim in remarks to the Bulgarian newspaper. "Turkey is surely able to pay this sum, after all, it's the 16th largest economic power in the world," he said, putting a total of $20 billion (€14 billion) on the settlement. "One of the three conditions of Turkey's full membership of the EU is solving the problem of the real estate of Thracian refugees."

For the complete report: EUobserver / Bulgaria puts price on Turkey's EU membership - by Andrew Rettman

Labels: Bulgaria, EU, Turkey

Spain, a staunch supporter of Turkey’s membership bid, which also co-sponsors the UN Alliance of Civilizations together with Ankara, took over the rotating presidency from Sweden. It will hold the position for the next six months.

Turkey’s accession negotiations, however, are unlikely to make drastic progress during the Spanish presidency, although Turkish leaders say the process needs to speed up to avoid a further decline in public support for membership at home. The entry talks risk coming to a standstill now that a number of negotiating chapters have been frozen. The EU suspended talks on eight chapters in 2006 due to Turkey’s refusal to open its ports and airports to traffic from member Greek Cyprus, while France and Greek Cyprus have unilaterally blocked the opening of talks on a total of 10 other chapters.

For more: Spain takes over EU presidency as Turkey eyes progress

Labels: EU, Turkey

Labels: EU, Italy, Santa Claus, Turkey

Eight Turkish soldiers have been detained over an alleged plot to assassinate Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, the army has said.

It said the soldiers were taken to the army headquarters in Ankara after being interrogated by a prosecutor on Friday.

The arrests follow an inquiry which was launched last week after Mr Arinc said a car with two officers had been spotted several times near his house.

For the complete report: BBC News - Turkish soldiers held in 'deputy PM assassination plot'

Labels: Turkey

"Everyone knows about the big white beard, the red suit and the reindeer. They write to Mr. Claus at the North Pole, and leave cookies out for him before going to bed on Christmas Eve.

What most people don’t know is that the legend of Father Christmas comes from what is now Turkey, a country that is 99 percent Muslim.

Santa is now a global phenomenon, but his story has humble roots: a 4th century archbishop named Nicholas, who lived in a small farming community on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast."

Fast forward to today, and a quick stroll along Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul’s commercial artery, makes it clear that Turks have maintained their own peculiar relationship with this non-Islamic holiday — albeit one with less legend and more commerce. But if most Turks don't celebrate Christmas, why does the Noel spirit seem to be in the air? “Christmas and New Year are very close to one another. And Turks do celebrate New Year, so all the Christmas so-called season has migrated with its symbols to New Years,” said professor Ayse Oncu, of Istanbul’s Sabanci University. The adoption of secular Christmas symbols by urban Turks is a relatively new phenomenon — one that parallels the rise of a consumer culture here in Turkey.

Turkey Christmas: By Nicole Sobecki

Labels: Christmas, Religion, Turkey

B92 - News - Region - Turkish FM wants visas abolished for Turkey as well:

"Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on the European Union to enable Turkish citizens to travel throughout the European Union without visas as well.

“It is unacceptable that certain Balkan countries that are in the starting phases of association and which have not begun negotiations have received Schengen privileges, and that Turkey, taking into consideration the level it has reached in EU negotiations, has not,” Davutoglu said."

Note EU-Digest: It seems the EU is not treating all applicant member nations the same? One can only wonder where this paranoia about Turkey's membership is originating from, even though one could pretty well guess it.

Labels: EU, Turkey

Şevket Pamuk | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

"Turkey and the EU: hurtful uncertainty

Turkish accession has stalled – yet the community needs the political advantages of Turkey's membership more than ever

European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels this week to mark the end of Sweden's presidency. One item high on their agenda will be to review relations with Turkey.

The EU formally accepted Turkey as a candidate for membership at the end of 2004. Soon after that, however, leaders in France and Germany began declaring that Turkey should never be accepted as a member. The EU is now unable to say whether Turkey will become a member even if it fulfills the Copenhagen criteria. As the latest progress report prepared by the EU makes clear, Turkey's accession process has been slow under these circumstances. There has been little movement on the leading issues, such as Cyprus. Many chapters of the accession negotiations remain unopened, or blocked by a few EU member states."

Labels: EU, Turkey

For the complete report from the The National click on this link

Prospects for Turkey’s accession to the exclusive European club may look dimmer than ever but the republic, which is Nato’s only Muslim member, is increasingly turning eastward for its ambitions. From the Balkans to the Caucasus to the Middle East, Turkey is focusing its energies on establishing an arc of influence in many countries which were once part of the Ottoman empire. But instead of rose-perfumed pashas in embroidered caftans invading Arab lands with cadres of janissaries, Turkish politicians are arriving with delegations of business leaders dangling lucrative trade deals to the economically stagnant region.

“Turkey is carrying western values to its eastern neighbours,” said Mustafa Kutley, an Ankara-based contributor to the Turkish Weekly journal. “It is trying a very European approach: while increasing the wealth of its country it is transforming the continent from one of violence to one of wealth. That is what Europe once did. The EU is less important on the Turkish agenda.”

Labels: EU, Middle East, Nato, Turkey

EU-Digest

EurActiv - The European Parliament held a heated debate yesterday (25 November) on future EU enlargement but also offered congratulations to Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, who is expected to take a different portfolio in the Barroso II team.Olli Rehn, the quiet Finn who once humbly described himself as "only the factory manager" in the gigantic effort of preparing countries for EU membership, summed up his five-year term by saying that five years ago, he had wanted to see a number of things achieved by the end of 2009:
* An EU of 27 member states;
* Croatia's accession process entering the final stages;
* the other Western Balkan countries anchored in the EU through Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAAs);
* Turkey firmly on a European track;
* Kosovo's status settled, and;
* Cyprus reunified.

Labels: EU, EU enlargement, Turkey

For the complete report from the SPIEGEL ONLINE click on this link

The Turkish government fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. The Turkish government says it fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. But many secular and religious Turks say they would welcome a debate with the polemic politician.

"Normally, the army belongs in the barracks. But I will make an exception for Turkey." Wilders wrote. "The Turkish army is the greatest defender of Kemal Ataturk's legacy, the man who compared Islam with a rotting corpse. Without the corrective influence of the army, Turkey would already be a second Iran." This position is incomprehensible and indefensible, said Mustafa Akyol, a columnist and deputy editor of the Turkish Daily News and a practicing Muslim. "Wilders forgets that Ataturk in his time (the 1920 and 30s) turned Turkey's face to the West, but that the West wasn't a very pleasant place at the time. Many of the European fascist and nationalist ideologies of the time, like that of authoritarian one-party states, were thus imported to Turkey and the secular Turks have held onto them until now.''

Note EU-Digest: Mr. Wilders, a one dimensional politician, who usually is completely off the track when it comes to conventional political activities and historical research, certainly read up well about Turkish history and Ataturk's legendary vision about Islam and the dangers of Islam or any religion as a State imposed religion.

Labels: Ataturk, EU, Geert Wilders, Islam, The Netherlands, Turkey

For the complete report from Radio Netherlands Worldwide click on this link

Dutch MPs say they will cancel a trip to Turkey if the country insists on a boycott of Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders. A spokesman for Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu described the anti-Islam MP as a fascist and a racist who was not welcome in Turkey. He said there were no organizations in Turkey willing to meet Mr Wilders, and his presence in the delegation would harm relations between the two countries. Leader of the Dutch delegation, Labour Party MP Harm Evert Waalkens, says that if Turkey boycotts Mr Wilders, the Dutch MPs will call off the visit altogether. He says he will be taking the matter up with Turkish counterparts on Wednesday.

Dutch MPs also backed Mr Wilders when he was refused entry to the United Kingdom in February. Even his most vehement opponents on the left consistently support his right to travel and free speech – although though they criticise him for holding double standards on free speech himself. Mr Wilders has compared the Qur’an to Hitler’s Mein Kampf and called for it to be banned.

Labels: EU, Netherlands, Turkey

For the complete report from the NYTimes.com click on this link

Britain urged Turkey on Monday to honour a pledge to the European Union to open its ports and airports to neighbouring Cyprus, saying it would be an important step in Ankara's talks to join the bloc. Turkey has no diplomatic relations with Cyprus, an EU member since 2004, but is under pressure to make good a promise to open its ports to its southern neighbour under a deal which enabled it to start accession talks in 2005. "I urge the Turkish government to honour the commitments that it has already made. We would like to see the ports opened, we'd like to see them making that commitment again and seeing action rather than just words," said British Minister for Europe Chris Bryant. Turkish compliance with its commitments will be discussed by EU heads of state at a summit in mid-December.

Labels: Cyprus, Turkey

EU-digest

New York Times - “Stop the boat! Stop the boat now!” the captain of the Greek Coast Guard patrol vessel yelled over the bullhorn, turning a spotlight on the flimsy dinghy as it chugged toward this island in the Aegean Sea. As the dinghy sputtered to a halt, a crowd of frightened faces squinted up into the light. Squeezed onto the 6-meter, or 20-foot, vessel were 30 Afghan migrants — men, women, children including babies — and their smugglers: two Turkish boys. The interception occurred one Saturday night earlier this month. But the migrants, the smugglers and the coast guard officers are protagonists in a daily drama played out in this seven-kilometer-wide strait separating the island of Lesbos from the Turkish coast, one of the narrowest sea crossings between the two countries and a favored route for smuggling. Hampering European Union efforts to curb a relentless influx of desperate people seeking to enter the bloc through this slender channel are age-old tensions between the E.U. member Greece and the E.U.-hopeful Turkey and the ever inventive tactics of opportunists profiting from the situation.

Most of the human traffickers are Turks, age 16 and 17. “We’ve seen one kid three times,” a patrol boat captain said, noting that minors, who cannot be prosecuted under Greek law, were sent back to Turkey, but often tried to return to Greece a few weeks later. The captain asked not to be identified by name for security reasons.

Labels: Economy, EU, Greece, Illegal Immigration, Turkey

For the full report from AFP click on this link

Turkey's plan to expand language rights for Kurds and prevent discrimination is unlikely to persuade armed rebels to lay down arms and risks heightening nationalist anger at the government for caving in to "terrorists", analysts said Saturday. In a tumultuous parliamentary session on Friday, Interior Minister Besir Atalay gave the first concrete details of a government project to grant country's estimated 12 million Kurds wider rights with the hope of ending a 25-year separatist campaign by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Labels: Kurds, Turkey

For the complete report from the guardian.co.uk click on this link

The official explained to Bibi Netanyahu that if there was a peace settlement, extra investment would push Israel's long-term growth rate from 5% a year to 7%. The Israeli prime minister responded that if the country had 5% growth, it did not need peace. Netanyahu was joking, according to the official who recounted the story – but the quip highlights a serious point. There is no prospect of a settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, and many Israelis are fairly relaxed about that. During a recent visit to Israel, I met very few people who were optimistic about the peace process. Netanyahu says he supports the creation of a Palestinian state. But the terms he is offering – with much of the hypothetical state's security under Israeli control – would not be acceptable to any Palestinian leader.

Many Israeli politicians and businessmen have a dark view of Europe. At a conference I attended in Jerusalem, one minister – a noted dove within the Israeli government – complained about the influence of Muslim minorities on the foreign policies of EU countries. I told him that Germany and the Netherlands, two states with large and vocal Muslim minorities, were among Israel's best friends in Europe. Israelis have long been worried about Iran. But their fear of Turkey – until very recently a close ally – is new. The Turkish government's criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza and its recent cancellation of joint military exercises makes Israelis fret that Turkey is nestling up to the Iran-led coalition. They worry about the growing power of Islamists in Turkey, the diminishing role of the secular army in Turkish public life, and Prime Minister Erdogan's burgeoning friendship with Iran's President Ahmedi-Nejad.

Many more neutral observers, however, believe that Erdogan is trying to balance Turkey's foreign policy between the EU, the US, Russia, Iran and the Arab world, and that may be in Turkey's best interests.

Labels: EU, Israel, Middle East, Turkey, US

For the complete report from the csmonitor.com click on this link

Pamuk: "I identify with Kemal's attention as a lover to his beloved because it is like a novelist's attention to words. In the end, being a novelist, in a way, is loving the world, caressing the world with words. It is paying attention to all the details that you have lived and experienced. This book is my most personal, intimate book. It is all the things I have lived and seen in Istanbul in my entire life. It is a panorama written with loving detail."

"I was so happy writing this book. It gave me so much happiness that I would say it saved me during very troubled political times. After writing every morning from 7 to 11, I was able to face the tensions of the rest of day during those long months. [Pamuk was tried in 2005-2006 for "insulting Turkishness" by addressing the issue of Armenian massacres in an interview with a Swiss paper. The charges were later dropped."

Labels: Turkey

For the complete report from Todays Zaman click on this link

Turkey has received a request from the European Union to reconsider its decision to invite indicted Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir . Bashir, who in March became the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC at The Hague, is among heads of state and government that İstanbul will host for an economic summit during the Organization of the Islamic Conference's (OIC) 25th session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC). Meanwhile, during a visit to the eastern province of Elazığ on Friday, when reminded of the issue, President Abdullah Gül, the host of the summit and a former foreign minister, underlined that Bashir would not come to Turkey for a bilateral visit. “These are multilateral visits, everyone is visiting [Turkey] as a member of an international organization. Therefore, everyone should see it this way and should act with this understanding,” Gül was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency in an apparent reference to the EU’s uneasiness over the expected visit.

Note EU-Digest: there is a saying: "It is by the people you associate with that other people will judge you". Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir is a convicted criminal by the International Criminal Court in the Hague and when he sets his feet on Turkish soil should be apprehended by Turkish authorities and delivered to the International Criminal Court. "

Labels: EU, ICC, Sudan, Turkey

For the complete report from the Al-Ahram Weekly click on this link

Turkey's Ottoman Empire died a quiet death nearly a century ago. But the country continues to enjoy a unique eminence of leadership across the Middle East and in much of the Muslim world. And Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly justified this love and respect for Turkey with his political courage and candour. From the lashing Erdogan gave Israel's Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos following the Gaza offensive earlier this year to his call this week demanding UN action on Justice Richard Goldstone's report on that offensive, Turkey continues to show rare leadership. Erdogan's nation stands up for justice and fair play, rather than going along with the shameful double standards that the rest of the world seems to take in its stride. This is remarkable for a country that enjoys close, strategic relations with the United States, is a NATO member and hopes to be the first Muslim country to join the European Union.

More important, Turkey has full diplomatic relations with Israel and is perhaps the only Muslim country with which Israel has close economic and military ties. (So you can't really throw the regular accusation of "anti-Semitism" against Ankara).

Labels: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey

For the complete report from POLITICO.com click on this link

When Erdogan does come to Washington, Obama would do well to listen to his Turkish visitor about the current state of play in the strategically vital Middle East. Erdogan will come to Washington not only at a time of strong domestic support for his government and the ruling Justice and Development Party, a moderate Islamist party that has dominated Turkish electoral politics in this decade, but also at a time of increasing influence for Turkey in the broader Middle East — while America’s influence in the region continues to decline. This opening to the broader Middle East has been very strongly in Turkey’s interest. Expanding trade and investment links to Iran, Iraq, Syria and other regional states has boosted the growth of Turkey’s economy and reinforced its status as an “emerging market” of international significance. Moreover, closer ties to Middle Eastern countries, along with links to Hamas and Hezbollah, have made Ankara an increasingly important player across a wide spectrum of regional issues. Erdogan wants to position Turkey to act as a mediator between its Muslim neighbors and the West — including the United States, which needs to move beyond nice speeches by Obama and undertake concrete diplomatic initiatives to repair its standing in the Middle East.

There is an important lesson here for the Obama administration. America no longer has the economic and political wherewithal to dictate strategic outcomes in the Middle East. Increasingly, if Washington wants to promote and protect U.S. interests in this critical region, it will have to do so through serious diplomacy — by respecting evolving balances of power and accommodating the legitimate interests of others so that U.S. interests will be respected. Turkey’s Middle East policy provides a valuable model of what that kind of diplomacy looks like. Note EU-Digest: the EU can also learn a lesson from this kind of diplomacy instead of still blindly following the established US policies for that area.

Labels: EU, Europe Middle East, Turkey, US

For the complete report from the guardian.co.uk click on this link

President of Cyprus likes EU-Turkey relations to Nazi appeasement - by Ian Traynor

The president of Cyprus today urged Europe to get tough with Turkey, likening the EU's concessions to Ankara to the appeasement of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, and playing down expectations of any breakthrough in the quest for a settlement of 35 years of partition in Cyprus. Demetris Christofias, the Greek Cypriot leader and Cypriot president, said that more than a year of negotiations with his Turkish Cypriot friend and counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, were in trouble. "Unfortunately, my expectations have not been justified," he said in an interview. "We have differences and divergences, deep, deep differences."

Labels: Cyprus, EU, Turkey

For the complete report from Press TV click on this link

Iran, Turkey seek to triple trade by 2014

Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi says Iran and Turkey have agreed to increase the level of their annual trade exchanges to euro 20 billion ($30 billion). "Following a proposal from Iran, the level of trade between Iran and Turkey will increase to euro 20 billion within the coming 4 to 5 years," IRNA quoted Rahimi as saying on Tuesday. "The level of trade ties between Iran and Turkey presently stands at about euro 8 billion ($11 billion), which is not satisfactory," he added.

Labels: Economy, Iran, Turkey

For the complete report from the NYTimes.com click on this link

Tensions Between Turkey and the West Increase - by Dan Bilefski

With Turkey’s prospects for joining the European Union more elusive than ever and the country reaching out to predominantly Muslim countries with a vigor not seen in years, a longstanding question is vexing the United States and Europe: is this large, secular Muslim country turning East instead of West? When President Barack Obama visited Turkey in April — a symbolic gesture that underlined Turkey’s geo-strategic importance — he emphasized Turkey’s role as a bridge between East and West, acknowledged its mediation in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and threw his weight solidly behind Turkey becoming an European Union member. Now, six months later, some in Washington and Brussels are questioning Turkey’s dependability as an ally, and many Turks are asking whether they should reject the EU before the bloc rejects them.

Note EU-Digest:This report is a typical reflection of behind the scenes manipulation by political entities in Israel, the EU and the US, who are getting more and more frustrated in their efforts to develop a solid partnership with a Turkey led by an increasingly unpredictable and less secular motivated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It also shows the result of EU's lack of sensitivity in its dealings with Turkey as it relates to their membership in the EU. While the EU has allowed practically "Mafia run" Eastern European countries like Romania and Bulgaria to become members of the EU on a fast track, they have been turning the screws on Turkey at every possible occasion and slowing down their EU membership accession procedures to a snails pace. Thirdly and possibly more accurate, the New York Times article, published in one of the most influential publications in the US favorable to the Obama Administration, could also indicate that a regime change is in the making for Turkey? Time will tell.

Labels: EU, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, US

For the complete report from the BBC NEWS click on this link

Turkey chastises the West on Iran

Turkey's prime minister has accused the West of treating Iran unfairly over its nuclear program. Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Britain's Guardian newspaper Western fears Iran wanted to build the bomb were "gossip". Mr Erdogan is due in Tehran for talks with both President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country's Supreme Leader. The Turkish leader suggested that there was a dual standard in the West's approach towards Iran. He said any military strike against Iran would be "crazy".

Note EU-Digest: let us hope that Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan also questions the brutal police suppression of the opposition forces during the recent Presidential elections in Iran when he visits that country.

Labels: Elections, Iran, Nuclear weapons, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey

EU-Digest

In June 1999, the Turkish media, probably tipped off by the military leadership, published transcripts of audio recordings of a 1986 Gülen sermon. “The existing system is still in power,” Gülen was heard saying. “Our friends, who have positions in legislative and administrative bodies, should learn its details and be vigilant all the time so that they can transform it and be more fruitful on behalf of Islam in order to carry out a nationwide restoration.” A warrant for his arrest on charges of plotting to overthrow the state was issued but then rejected, the evidence against him having been judged insufficient. Gülen, who was receiving medical treatment in the United States when the tapes first appeared, chose not to go back to Turkey.

To this day he remains in America, living alongside a small circle of male followers on an estate in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania with a population of 12,000. In Turkey the Gülen movement by using religious taxes and donations from followers, has founded over 150 private schools in Turkey, including Istanbul’s Fatih University. Even though religion has no place in the classroom of secular Turkey or for that matter in any secular country, Gülen school students, often from poor traditional families, are encouraged to follow a regime of fasting and prayer. Following graduation, large numbers go on to join the ranks of the national bureaucracy – precisely the sort of “infiltration” that the Turkish secular constitution prohibits. In addition to the schools, the Gülen movement in Turkey runs a bank, an insurance company, several think tanks, media outlets, associations and charities, and even a finance company.

Since the US and the EU seem to be in love with what they call “moderate Islam” and its spokesmen, so easily exploited in their favor by people like Gülen, certainly does not make objective analysis of the Gülen movement any easier. But it does clarify the reason why Gülen is basically living under the protection of the US Government in America and has carte blanche to run a subversive political religious movement undermining the basic principals of modern Turkish secularism formulated in their constitution. It would be a feather in the hat of the Obama Administration if they remove the protective umbrella provided to him by the Bush Administration and return him back home to Turkey.

Labels: The Fethullah Gulen Movement; EU, Turkey, US Administration

For the complete report from the Brisbane Times click on this link

EU says Turkey-Armenia pacts will ease regional tensions

The European Union and the United States have welcomed deals signed by Armenia and Turkey aimed at ending decades of hostility between the two countries. "The European Commission warmly welcomes the signature by the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers... of the protocols on establishing diplomatic relations and developing bilateral relations, including the opening of the common border," an EC statement said. "The Commission considers it a courageous and far-sighted step forward towards peace and stability in the South Caucasus region and a truly historic decision showing readiness to compromise on both sides." The EU Swedish presidency also praised the action by the two countries on Saturday as "an important contribution" to security and stability throughout the region.

Labels: Armenia, Christianity, EU, Islam, Turkey

EU-Digest

Armenia and Turkey - Finally Common Sense Prevails - Armenia and Turkey to establish normal diplomatic relations

Today, October 10, at 5 p.m. CET Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan and the Foreign Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu will sign “The Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Armenia and Turkey” and “The Protocol on Development of Relations between Armenia and Turkey” at the University of Zurich. The U.S. deputy state secretary announced that Mrs. Hillary Clinton is going to be present at the official ceremony of signing the protocols. Armenian public TV station reported earlier that the official ceremony would be broadcast by “Haylur” information program.

For complete details of the protocol click on this link.

Labels: Armenia, Peace, Turkey

For the complete report from BusinessWeek click on this link

Turkey's Shift to a More Open Economy - by Stanley Reed

Turkey cannot escape the ravages of the global recession. But this time it may avoid the pains that often afflict this promising country in a downturn. For the Turks, a recession usually goes like this: A wild boom triggers high inflation, the currency collapses, and the poorly managed banking sector, hooked on speculative trading and foreign debt, has a near-death experience. Turkey has a well-educated workforce, proximity to Europe, and a shrewd management class. But financial fragility, including a meltdown that sparked riots in 2001, has kept it from entering the first rank of emerging market economies. In the current turmoil, to everyone's amazement, things have been different. The economy has been dealt a body blow as exports have stalled. While structural problems still exist, in both the political and regulatory spheres, the financial system has held firm even as U.S. and European banks have hovered on the brink. "

Labels: Economy, Turkey

For the complete report from BusinessWeek click on this link

Watchdog alarmed by Turkish media fine - Erdogan's government trying to muzzle unfavorable press

An international watchdog says the Turkish government's decision to impose an "unprecedented" penalty on the country's largest media group is alarming.Turkey's Finance Ministry imposed a $2.5 billion (euro1.7 billion) tax fine on Dogan Yayin, a conglomerate of newspapers and TV stations. The fine for allegedly unpaid taxes sparked accusations that the government is trying to muzzle a media group that has been critical of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

Labels: Censorship, Democracy, EU, Turkey, US

NEW EUROPE - The European News Source

"Turkish opposition says EU, Turkey should be more European
Interview with: Onur Oymen
13 September 2009 - Issue : 851

On a recent visit to Brussels to meet with MEPs the Vice-President of CHP (Turkey’s main opposition and social democratic party) Onur Oymen, former Ambassador to NATO and Germany took some time out to speak with Alia Papageorgiou at his party’s representation office to the EU overlooking the Rond Point Schuman. He commented on Turkey’s accession process, the EU and what his party sees as the resolution to the Cyprus and Kurdish issues. He also stressed some facts about Afghanistan. The conversation that followed is below."

Labels: EU, Turkey

For the complete report from AHN click on this link

Ciara And Justin Timberlake's "Love Sex Magic" Banned In Turkey

Ciara and Justin Timberlake's steamy music video for "Love Sex Magic" has been banned in Turkey. The country's Radio and Television Supreme Council has prohibited all TV channels from broadcasting the single due to its explicit sexual content. The video in question shows the sexily dressed songstress licking the former boyband singer's ears as they both dance close to each other. Turkey has banned the music video because, according to the mainly Muslim nation's Milliyet newspaper, it contains "sexual outfits, dancing and scenes that are contrary to the development of children and youth and morality in general."

Labels: Censorship, Turkey

Ottawa Citizen

"Europe's rebuff of Turkey called threat to world status

By Peter O'Neil, Europe Correspondent, Canwest News Service

PARIS — Europe will lose credibility as a global power unless it overcomes its fears of Turkey's entry into the 27-member European Union, the head of a commission of elder statesmen studying the explosive issue said here Wednesday.

Former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, winner of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize, said Turkey could be a crucial western ally in the Muslim world as the West tackles issues ranging from the Afghanistan conflict and the Middle East peace process to Iran's nuclear ambitions and Europe's energy security."

Labels: EU, Turkey

For the complete report from CBC news click on this link

Flash flooding kills 14 in Istanbul

Flash floods gushed across an Istanbul arterial road on Wednesday, killing 14 people and stranding dozens of vehicles, local media reports said. As waters rose more than a metre high in the city's Ikitelli district, motorists climbed on roofs of their vehicles waiting to be rescued. The floods occurred in the early hours as people began making their way to work, washing over a main road linking the city to an industrial area, an airport and a highway to Greece.

CNN-Turk television said seven other bodies were recovered at a gas station in Halkali.

Labels: Floods, Turkey

For the complete report from TIME Magazine click on this link

Fifty Years On, Turkey Still Pines to Become European - Leo Cendrowicz

This summer, Turkey celebrated a dubious anniversary: it was 50 years ago that the country first asked to join the European Union — or, as it was then known, the European Economic Community. Half a century on, Turkey is still waiting to be let in. In that time, other countries have joined, expanding the once six-member European club to 27. But even the most optimistic scenario says Turkey is unlikely to be part of the E.U. for at least another decade.Turkey's leaders say they remain committed to their bid, however long it takes. But patience might not be enough, according to a report published Sept. 7 by a panel of European grandees. Chaired by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a mediator, the Independent Commission on Turkey says some E.U. leaders are mining popular fears over the specter of Turkish membership. "Attacks on the E.U.-Turkey process [have become] a proxy for popular concerns about immigration, worries about jobs, fears of Islam and a general dissatisfaction with the E.U.," the report says. "Negative statements by some European leaders ... and obstacles put in the way of the negotiations have all but derailed the process."

This hostility has not been missed by the Turkish. Support in Turkey for membership fell from over 70% in 2004 to 42% by the end of last year. The sense of being excluded has further demoralized Turkish reformers, the report says, leading to "a regrettable slowdown in the reform process" that is a condition of membership. This, in turn, feeds skeptics in European countries who point to the lack of reforms as proof that Turkey is unworthy of joining the E.U.

Labels: EU, Turkey

For the complete report from the Turkish Forum click on this link

Turkey’s FM sure of eventual EU membership despite critics

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday hit out at opponents of his country’s EU aspirations, such as France and Germany, and said Turkey’s future within the European Union was assured. “We have full confidence that our French, British and other colleagues will keep their commitment… There is no need for convincing, it is already sure that Turkey and the European Union will integrate in the future,” Davutoglu told reporters after talks with his EU counterparts in Stockholm. Turkey, which has been knocking on Europe’s door for decades, began formal EU accession talks in 2005. Today they are stalled by French, German and Austrian opposition as well as Ankara’s refusal to trade openly with EU member Cyprus.

Labels: EU, Turkey

For the complete report from the Internet Evolution click on this link

Hacking for God & Country - by Thomas J. Holt

There is clear evidence that hacking and malicious software are tremendously costly for businesses and home users alike. So why do people do it? The reasons individuals engage in these activities are diverse. For example, Max Kilger from the Honeynet Project argues that the hacker community is driven by six motives: money, entertainment, ego, cause, entrance to a social group, and status. The economic imperative is particularly strong, given the profit that can be made by hacking databases to steal credit cards and financial information. Additionally, a burgeoning market has developed around the sale of malicious software and stolen data, particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia. Religion and nationalism also may play in computer attacks, as shown by the actions of Turkish hackers in recent years. Some of the most noteworthy attacks occurred after a Danish newspaper published a cartoon featuring the prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban in 2005. This image was justifiably deemed offensive by the international Muslim community, and protests were staged in the streets around the world.

Labels: Hackers, Internet, Nationalism, Turkey

For the complete report from Today's Zaman click on this link

Turkish exports slid 29.8 percent in August

The Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) has announced Turkey's exports dropped to $7.67 billion in August, representing a 29.8 percent contraction over the same month of the preceding year.Turkey's traditional exports market, in Turkish exports has declined to 48 percent in the first seven months of the year from 52 percent in the same period of 2008. “The share of African and Middle East countries, however, is on the rise. The figures rose to 17 percent from 16 percent for the Middle East, while there was a 5 percent increase for Africa.”

Labels: Economy, Turkey

Washingtonpost.com

"Young Turks a major obstacle to Turkey's EU goals

By Thomas Grove
Reuters
Tuesday, September 1, 2009; 8:06 PM

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The license plate on Yunus Danacioglu's Turkish-made car carries an empty blue band waiting for European Union stars like those adorning automobile plates from Ireland to Bulgaria.

The only difference between his plate and others in Istanbul is that he has covered that band with a red and white Turkish flag, featuring a crescent and star, to show his loyalties. "

Labels: EU, Turkey

For the complete report from Today.Az clickon this link

Turkish gambit is only debut of a big geopolitical chess game in S. Caucasus and Caspian Basin

Steps to establish diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia, in the context of current conditions, are rather risky step, which, governments of both countries have decided to take. This step is fraught with serious domestic threats and risks both to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Events ongoing at the same time with signing of the Turkey-Armenia “road map” clearly proved this. Elements of “compulsion” to the agreement by the outside forces are spotted here by the naked eye. The engine of the action, apparently, is the United States of America, which purposefully tries to take Armenia from the orbit of influence of Russia through Turkey and, to some extent, from that of Iran. Russia using the energy against the country no less actively tries to squeeze the influence of the United States and Turkey from Azerbaijan.

Labels: Armenia, Turkey

For the complete report from The Daily Star click on this link

NATO: Greece-Turkey row endangering troops

NATO’s chief pressed Greece Thursday not to hinder cooperation between NATO and the European Union in Afghanistan because of its differences with Turkey, saying the security of international troops was at stake. NATO and the EU, both present in Afghanistan, have so far failed to conclude a security agreement for better cooperation in the field. “The lack of this agreement might put our personnel on the ground at risk,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. “We have discussed that in detail, because it’s a real concern to me. We can’t allow a lack of security because of these political issues.”

Labels: EU, Greece, Nato, Turkey

For the complete report from Yahoo News click on this link

Airbus wins Turkish Airlines order for 7 jets

Turkish Airlines has firmed up a preliminary order for seven Airbus 289-seat A330-300s, worth a total of euro1.4 billion ($1.97 billion) at catalog prices. Airbus said Tuesday that Turkish Airlines has signed a contract to expand its medium-haul network after announcing its intention to buy the planes at the Paris Air Show in June. Airlines often negotiate substantial discounts to the listed prices of planes, and the financial details of this order were not disclosed.

Labels: Airbus, Aircraft Industry, EU, Turkey

Forthe complete report from the The National click on this link

Turkey woos Russia as EU hopes dim - by Thmas Seibert

As the EU shows little interest in taking Turkey on board as a new member in the near future, Russia has emerged as a powerful new partner for Ankara, providing energy and trade deals and sending a growing number of holidaymakers to Turkey’s sunny coasts. The ever closer relations between Ankara and Moscow is a sign of weakened ties between Turkey and the EU, Nihat Ali Ozcan, an analyst at the Economic Policy Research Foundation, or Tepav, an Ankara-based think tank, said yesterday. “If things were better with the EU, Turkey would be part of the European approach. But because it is outside that approach, it plays more locally.” Nowhere is that trend more visible than in energy policy.

Note EU-Digest: the ultimate buyer of Russian energy supplies is the EU with its 500 million inhabitants. Turkey might be a player as a major "transfer station" of the Russian energy into the EU, but the the one paying the bills (the EU) for the energy from Russia will be the one calling the shots. Not Turkey.

Labels: EU, Russia, Turkey

For the complete report from Buzzle.com click on this link

Turkey vs. France: a Clash – Part of the Freemasonic Plan for Europe

As it is known, France advocates a special partnership with Turkey instead of full EU membership; what is not known is why the French pursue this policy. The explanation is simple. Turkey will never accept any sort of special partnership because this would simply consist in explicitly racist and unfair treatment, and at the same time it would be a national humiliation, following many decades of rapprochement and goals supposedly set for a final adhesion. In view of Turkey’s European identity and Turkey’s outperformance of several Balkan member countries (Bulgaria and Romania), a possible rejection of Turkey’s adhesion can be justified only through divergence at the level of legislation and the political life. With Turkey readjusting its economy and legislation, any European pretext will simply be a point of Anti-Turkish duplicity and mendacity.

With Turkey rejecting special partnership, the ridiculous pseudo-concept of a fake Mediterranean Union or any other type of association, and with the expected and methodically triggered deterioration of the Euro-Russian relationship, the way will be cleared for a great Turco-Russian alliance against Europe and Israel.

Labels: EU, France, Turkey

For the complete report from the EUobserver click on this link

Turkey plays double game on EU energy security - by Valentina Pop

Turkey has agreed to grant access to Russia's South Stream gas pipeline through its part of the Black Sea, in a move which could hurt the prospects of an EU-backed project to reduce Russian energy dependency. The Turkish deal is a major breakthrough for the Russian pipeline, which has to cross the maritime economic areas of either Turkey or Ukraine, but with Ukraine very unlikely to give consent."Even with the construction of South Stream, Nabucco will not be closed," Mr Putin said at a news conference. "The more infrastructure projects, the better, because that will create reliability and stability of energy supply to Europe".

The European Commission also officially rejects the idea the two projects are in competition."We consider [South Stream] a complementary initiative to our ongoing Nabucco efforts," commission spokesman Martin Selmayr said at a press briefing in Brussels.

Labels: EU, Turkey

For the complete report from BUSINESS NEW EUROPE click on this link

Turkey highlighted its growing geopolitical clout in Europe's energy sphere as, less than a month after agreeing a deal over and hosting the signing ceremony for the EU-backed Nabucco gas pipeline, it agreed to allow its territorial waters to be used for Russia's rival South Stream gas pipeline. On August 6, visiting Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and agreed to embark on an environmental study in Turkish waters for the €8.6bn South Stream pipeline, which when completed at the end of 2015 will transport up to 63bn cubic metres of Russian gas per year (cm/y) from Russia's Black Sea coast, through Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, and on to Italy and Austria. Turkey also got a 20-year extension on its contract to buy Russian gas, which runs out in 2011. Turkey is Russia's third-largest gas customer after Germany and Italy, buying 24.5bn cm/y last year, according to Gazprom data. Turkey has complained about the high price it pays for this gas; Putin said the contract was renewed on favourable terms to Turkey, but the details remain unclear.

Labels: Economy, EU, Russia, Turkey

Comment is free | The Guardian

"Turkey is part of Europe. Fear keeps it out of the EU

Sarkozy's argument won't wash. This great nation, a crucial link with the Muslim world, would be a major asset for the union

When on his recent visit to Turkey President Obama called for Turkish entry into the European Union, he put his finger on a strategic and cultural sore spot. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking for the majority position in Europe, was quick to respond: Turkey may one day enjoy a privileged relationship with the EU, but full membership is out of the question. Turkey is not European – geographically or culturally."

Labels: EU, Turkey

For the complete report from Spiegel Online click on this link

'Muhammad Knows Nothing About Football': Muslims Angered by Verse in German Soccer Club Song

The verse "Muhammad Was a Prophet Who Knows Nothing About Football" in the official song of German soccer club Schalke 04 has sparked more than 100 complaints from Muslims. The club says it's looking into the matter. German Bundesliga soccer club Schalke 04 has received more than 100 complaints from Muslims about its club song which contains the verse: "Muhammad was a Prophet who knows nothing about football."

The song with the title "White and Blue, How I Love You" has been around for decades but only recently came to the attention of Turkish media which said it insults the Prophet.

Labels: EU, Germany, Islam, Schalke 04, Sports, Turkey

For the complete report from the Middle East Online click on this link

Turkey eyes energy role with Russia

Turkey eyes energy role with Russia - by Sibel Utku Bila

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is to visit Ankara Thursday for talks expected to focus on energy cooperation amid a growing Turkish role in projects to carry gas and oil to Europe. "Cooperation in the field of energy will be a primary issue on the agenda," an aide to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Situated between Europe and the vast oil and gas fields of the Caspian Sea and the Middle East, Turkey has emerged as a hub for pipelines to supply the energy-hungry West. Hoping to attract Russian and Kazakh oil, Ankara is also promoting a pipeline from its Black Sea port of Samsun to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean coast, which already serves as a terminal in conduits pumping oil from Azerbaijan and Iraq. Putin's energy agenda in Ankara is likely to include also a long-delayed project to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant.

Despite sometimes shaky political ties, economic exchange between the two countries has boomed since the fall of Communism: in 2008, their trade volume hit 37.8 billion dollars, making Russia Turkey's number one trading partner. Russia supplies about 60 percent of Turkey's gas imports, and more than a million Russian holiday-makers boost Turkey's vital tourism sector each year.

Labels: Gas Supplies, Russia, Turkey

For the complete report from Therearenosunglasses’s Weblog click on this link

Turkey - Uighur Nationalism, Turkey and the CIA

"Much was made in the news, earlier this month, of the series of violent clashes that erupted between Uighurs, a Turkic, and predominantly Muslim, minority ethnic group in China, and the Chinese state police, and Han Chinese residents in the the province of Xinjiang, North Western China. But the media’s recent attention to the matter should be seen in light of a larger geo-political strategy, involving Turkey and the CIA, as part of what is called "The Bernard Lewis Plan". Originally implemented under the supervision of Zbigniew Brzezinski during the Carter administration, the plan was based on Lewis’ idea of an “Arc of Crisis”, created around the southern borders of Soviet Union, by empowering Muslim radicals to rebel against the communists, to bring about the fall of the Soviet Empire. The key aspect of this strategy, over the last 30 years, as revealed in the book and movie, Charlie Wilson’s War, began with support for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, which eventually became the CIA’s largest covert operation ever.

Despite years of Sibel Edmonds testimony being suppressed by the State Secrets Privilege, it is her revelations, discovered in the course of her work for the FBI, that now helps explain the significance of the immigration case against Turkish religious leader, Fethullah Gülen, living in "self-imposed exile" in the Pennsylvania, and explodes this entire complex of American foreign policy in the Middle East and Central Asia, and it’s broader implications for the Islamic world.

Fethullah Gülen, while also leading the movement behind Turkey’s current Islamic renaissance, is one of the key operatives who have been fronting for the CIA in the radicalization of Central Asia, involving drug trafficking, money laundering, and the nuclear black market, and false-flag terrorism. A number of sources reveal that the Gulen organization is also being used as a tool for the Special Operations Department of the Turkish police force.

Labels: Conspiracy Theories, Fethullah Gülen, Turkey, US

For the complete report from YahooTech/Reuters click on this link

Turkish Hacker hits Dutch sites with anti-Wilders slogans

A Turkish hacker has defaced dozens of Dutch websites with pro-Islamic slogans and pictures of right-wing politician Geert Wilders edited to make him look like a monkey, a website that tracks hackers said. Wilders, a former insurance worker turned politician and filmmaker, takes an anti-EU, anti-Islamist stand and leads the Freedom Party which is widely tipped to come first or second in next year's Dutch parliamentary elections. The hacker, who goes by the name "aLpTurkTegin," wrote on some of the sites "Our war will continue against the ones who are against the real religion Islam." On some pages the hacker posted a logo calling him- or her-self "Turkish Defacer."

According to the website Zone-H, which tracks hacking attacks, aLpTurkTegin defaced at least 147 sites in the last 7 days, most of them with anti-Wilders pages. The last recorded attacks were on Friday.

Labels: EU, Geert Wilders, Hackers, Netherlands, Turkey