Other News (1-15 October 2013) - Turkey - gab

Other News (1-15 October 2013) - Turkey
Turkologist: Having tired of the Turkish opposition, Erdogan
is trying to form a new opposition made of the Kurds
/Oct 2/ARMINFO/by David Stepanyan/
Having tired of the Turkish opposition, Erdogan is trying to form a new
opposition made of the Kurds, Turkologist Artak Shakaryan, said at today's
press-conference.
"The Turkish premier seems to think that in his intention to become a
president, it will be easier to him to make an arrangement with the Kurds
than the Kemalist opposition. So, through strengthening of the Kurds,
Erdogan will gain their support in the forthcoming reformation of the
Constitution, which will give him a chance to become the president. At the
same time, there is no guarantee that in case of becoming the president,
Erdogan will not impose more pressure upon the Kurds", - he emphasized.
So, Shakaryan thinks that weakening of the present opposition is not
beneficial to the national minorities of Turkey, as president Erdogan may
become unpredictable and dangerous. He thinks that the package of
democratic reforms presented by Erdogan is working just for attraction of
the Kurdish electorate, as the package supposes extension of the language
rights of national minorities, making alterations to the electoral system
in favor of small political parties, etc. "As for the Kurds, the reforms
will give them an opportunity to teach their children Kurdish language and
give them Kurdish names", - the Turkologist concluded.
Turkey is heading east even as its middle class faces west
/Oct 3/www.ft.com/From Mr Robert Ellis/
Sir, David Gardner claims that since the Gezi Park protests in June, Turkey
has never been more European (`A rekindled zeal to join the EU would
reignite renewal at home', FT Special Report, October 1).
This may be true of the middle class which formed the backbone of the
demonstrations but this is certainly not true of the AKP government, which
decides Turkey's foreign policy. President Abdullah Gul has affirmed that
EU membership remains `a strategic goal' for Turkey, but the main thrust of
the country's foreign policy is towards the Middle East.
Four years ago, foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke in Sarajevo of an
Ottoman renaissance, where Turkey together with the Balkans, the Caucasus
and the Middle East would once again be the centre of world politics. He
has since reiterated this theme and spoken of the AK party's historic
mission to create `a new world order' under Islam. Last October, prime
minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's chief adviser, Ibrahim Kalin, spoke at the
Istanbul Forum of the need for `a new geopolitical framework', adding that
the European model of secular democracy, politics and pluralism seems to
have little traction in the Arab and larger Muslim world.
Last Wednesday in the Turkish daily Star, another chief adviser, Yigit
Bulut, argued that Turkey should abandon its EU bid in favour of becoming a
leader of the new world order emerging in the Middle East, central Asia and
even Africa.
As Bearded Celal, a little-known Turkish philosopher, noted in the 1950s:
`Turkey's intellectuals think they are on board a ship heading west, but in
fact they are running westwards on board a ship heading east.'
Robert Ellis, Senior Fellow, Gatestone Institute, New York, NY, US
Turkish Republican People's party: Turkey became state which
imports terrorism
/Oct 3/ sana.sy/
Ankara, (SANA)-Chairman of Turkish Republican People's party Kemal
Kilicdaroglu affirmed that Turkey, during the reign of justice and
development party, became a state which imports terrorism and this would
create problems to the country.
"Al-Qaeda talking about a limited time for Turkey to open its borders in
front of their fighters into Syria is a natural result in light of The
Turkish Government's calling for al-Qaeda members to come to Turkey,
training and offering them money and weapons and later sending them to
Syria," Kilicdaroglu said at a TV interview in response to a statement by
Police command in Ankara.
He added that the statement indicates to cooperation between Erdogans's
government and al-Qaeda.
Turkish officials, on top of them, Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly
admitted that they open their borders with Syria in front of those who wish
to cross from outside the legal crossing points under the pretext of
responding to the humanitarian needs of the displaced.
Washington up in arms over Turkey's Chinese selection
/Oct 3/ neurope.eu/
The Turkish government announced a rather controversial decision to award a
Chinese company, slapped with U.S. sanctions, a tender to build Turkey's
first long-range air defence and anti-missile system.
China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corp (CPMIEC) beat out competition
from a U.S. partnership of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Russia's
Rosoboronexport, and the Italian-French consortium Eurosamrs in the tender.
According to Turkish media, the deal is worth $4bn.
CPMIEC, which has been hit by a series of U.S. sanctions over the past
decade, is accused of selling arms and missile technology to Iran and
Pakistan.
The U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that
Washington has `conveyed our serious concerns about the Turkish
government's contract discussions with a U.S.-sanctioned company for a
missile defence system that will not be interoperable with NATO systems or
collective defence capabilities'.
China's CPMIEC imports and exports defence missile weapon systems,
aerospace equipment, satellite technology and its applied products, special
devices, precision machinery, optical instruments, electronic products
special vehicles and technology.
Court: Yes to Greek property rights in Turkey
/Oct 5/The Associated Press/ lasvegassun.com/
The European Court of Human Rights says Turkey must pay 5 million euros in
damages to two Greek nationals who sought to acquire three buildings in
Istanbul bequeathed to them by their late sister.
The Strasbourg-based court's decision Tuesday could affect property rights
in Turkey for Greek nationals and in neighboring Cyprus, which is split
into Greek- and Turkish-speaking parts.
Ioannis and Evangelos Fokas lodged the case in 2002, saying they were
refused their inheritance because they're Greek.
The court said there was no legal obstacle preventing Greeks from acquiring
property in Turkey since a 1964 decree forbidding it was abolished in 1988.
Turkey had argued in part that its nationals did not enjoy similar
inheritance rights in Greece, but the court determined that was not the
case.
Turkey expects Greek efforts in return for reopening Halki
Seminary
/Oct 5/hurriyetdailynews.com/
The reopening of the Halki Seminary was not included in the Turkish
government's recent democratization package. AA Photo
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has once made reassurances
about the government's resolve to reopen Istanbul's Greek Orthodox Halki
Seminary, while noting the overture was contingent on Greece opening
mosques in Athens.
"We will solve the Halki Seminary issue. We have discussed this subject
with Greek ministers so often," Erdoðan said during a live interview on
private broadcaster A Haber late Oct. 3. "This is an instant [decision] for
us, but we have asked for one thing. There are two mosques in Athens. One
of them is the Fethiye Mosque which was demolished. We asked them to let us
rebuild it."
Turkey has also demanded the Greece's Muslim community elect a new mufti
for the 150,000 Muslims living in Western Thrace.
Turkey opened Trabzon's Sümela Monastery and Akdamar churches for religious
ceremonies and expects the same efforts from Greece on mosques, Erdoðan
said.
The reopening of the Halki Seminary was not included in the Turkish
government's recent democratization package despite expectations that it
would be included.
Turkish Republican People's party: Turkey became state which
imports terrorism
/Oct 3/sana.sy/
Ankara, (SANA)-Chairman of Turkish Republican People's party Kemal
Kilicdaroglu affirmed that Turkey, during the reign of justice and
development party, became a state which imports terrorism and this would
create problems to the country.
"Al-Qaeda talking about a limited time for Turkey to open its borders in
front of their fighters into Syria is a natural result in light of The
Turkish Government's calling for al-Qaeda members to come to Turkey,
training and offering them money and weapons and later sending them to
Syria," Kilicdaroglu said at a TV interview in response to a statement by
Police command in Ankara.
He added that the statement indicates to cooperation between Erdogans's
government and al-Qaeda.
Turkish officials, on top of them, Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly
admitted that they open their borders with Syria in front of those who wish
to cross from outside the legal crossing points under the pretext of
responding to the humanitarian needs of the displaced.
TURQUIE: ERDOGAN, FUTUR PRESIDENT?
/Oct 5/armenews.com/
Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a fait savoir qu’il serait
candidat à l’élection présidentielle prévue l’an prochain si son parti le
lui demandait.
Selon les règles de fonctionnement de son parti, l’AKP (Parti pour la
justice et le développement), Recep Tayep Erdogan ne peut prétendre à être
à nouveau chef du gouvernement à l’issue des élections législatives de
2015. On le sait favorable à un rôle renforcé du président au sein de
l’exécutif, mais ses projets de faire modifier la constitution en ce sens
n’ont pour l’heure pas abouti.
« Je n’ai pas encore pris une telle décision de façon certaine. Si j’avais
pris une telle décision de façon sûre, je l’annoncerais », a déclaré le
Premier ministre dans un entretien accordé hier soir à la chaîne de
télévision A Haber.
« Nous avons un système et ce système est fondé sur la consultation. La
pièce la plus importante de cette consultation pour l’heure est mon parti.
Et, quelle que soit la fonction dont mon parti me chargera, quel que soit
ce qu’il souhaitera pour moi, je m’efforcerai de le faire », a-t-il ajouté.
Le Premier ministre et le président Abdullah Gül ont tous deux participé à
la création de l’AKP en 2001 et sont alliés de longue date. Des tensions
sont toutefois apparues dans leur relation depuis un an, notamment sur la
façon de traiter les manifestations antigouvernementales de l’été dernier à
Istanbul et Ankara.
Erdogan relance la polémique sur le foulard islamique, élargit
les droits des Kurdes
/Oct 5/armenews.com/
(AFP) - Trois mois après la fronde antigouvernementale de juin, le Premier
ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a remis lundi sur la table la question
très controversée du foulard islamique en annonçant que les fonctionnaires
auraient désormais le droit de le porter, et dévoilé des mesures pour
renforcer les droits des minorités, notamment des Kurdes.
Dans un discours très attendu prononcé devant la presse et son gouvernement
au grand complet, M. Erdogan a proclamé la fin de “l’interdiction dans les
institutions publiques“ des “mesures discriminatoires pour les femmes et
les hommes“, le foulard et la barbe.
“Ces restrictions violent le droit au travail, la liberté de pensée et de
croyance“, a-t-il expliqué, s’engageant à imposer “une sanction à ceux qui
empêchent les gens d’exercer les droits liés à leurs devoirs religieux“.
Ces interdictions resteront toutefois en vigueur pour les policiers, les
militaires, les procureurs et les juges, a précisé le chef du gouvernement.
Depuis son arrivée au pouvoir en 2002, le Parti de la justice et du
développement (AKP) de M. Erdogan a fait de la levée de l’interdiction dans
la fonction publique du foulard islamique, un symbole de la Turquie
musulmane mais laïque voulue par le fondateur de la République Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk, l’un de ses chevaux de bataille.
Déjà autorisé aux étudiantes sur certains campus, le port du foulard sera
désormais permis aux professeurs et à tous les agents publics, ainsi qu’aux
députées.
En 1999, Merve Kavakçi, une députée turco-américaine élue sous les couleurs
d’un parti islamiste, s’était présentée devant ses pairs coiffée du voile
pour prêter serment. Elle avait dû quitter l’hémicycle sous les huées,
avant d’être déchue de sa nationalité turque.
A six mois des municipales, l’annonce de M. Erdogan risque de raviver les
plaies ouvertes par la vague de contestation sans précédent qui a secoué le
pays en juin. Pendant près d’un mois, des dizaines de milliers de
manifestants ont défilé dans les grandes villes, surtout à Istanbul, Ankara
et Izmir (ouest), pour reprocher au gouvernement sa dérive “islamiste“.
Réforme “sensible“
Dès lundi, le principal parti d’opposition, le Parti républicain du peuple
(CHP), a tiré à boulets rouges sur le plan Erdogan. “C’est un sérieux coup
à la République nationale et séculaire“, a déploré la députée Ayman Güler,
“les divisions religieuses et ethniques vont désormais être entérinées par
le code pénal“.
“C’est une réforme très sensible, mais c’est un geste nécessaire car (...)
des étudiantes ne pouvaient pas aller à l’université, des avocates ne
pouvaient pas plaider“, a pour sa part déclaré à l’AFP Umit Firat, de
l’association pour les citoyens d’Helsinki.
Outre cette décision emblématique, le Premier ministre a présenté lundi des
réformes pour renforcer les droits des minorités, dont les Kurdes, à
l’heure où Ankara a engagé des pourparlers de paix avec le Parti des
travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) pour mettre un terme au conflit kurde, qui
a fait plus de 40.000 morts depuis 1984.
Egalement destinée à toutes les autres minorités de Turquie (Alévis, Roms,
Syriaques), la série de mesures “démocratiques“ du gouvernement autorise
l’enseignement en langue kurde dans les écoles privées ou son utilisation
pour la propagande électorale.
Certaines localités du Sud-Est anatolien, qui abrite une large partie des
15 millions de Kurdes du pays, débaptisées après le coup d’Etat militaire
de 1980, pourront aussi reprendre leur nom d’origine.
Sur le plan politique, M. Erdogan a promis une discussion sur l’abaissement
du seuil de 10% des suffrages nécessaire pour entrer au Parlement.
M. Erdogan a qualifié son plan d’“historique“. Mais, sans surprise, il a
déçu les Kurdes, qui réclament l’enseignement de leur langue dans les
écoles publiques et une mention explicite à leur identité dans la
Constitution turque.
“Ce plan n’est pas en mesure de surmonter le blocage actuel du processus“,
a déploré la coprésidente du Parti kurde pour la paix et la démocratie
(BDP), Gülten Kisanak.
Le PKK a annoncé au début du mois la suspension du retrait de ses
combattants du territoire turc, engagé en mai, accusant Ankara de ne pas
tenir ses promesses de réformes.
“Ce n’est pas une série de réformes pour la démocratisation, c’est une
série de réformes pour les élections“, a déploré Mme Kisanak.
Partisans de l’entrée de la Turquie dans l’Union européenne (UE), les Verts
européens ont, quant à eux, salué, par la voix de la députée Hélène
Flautre, des mesures “qui vont dans le sens du renforcement du socle
démocratique et des droits fondamentaux“.
After the protests Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces a reform
package
/Oct 5/ economist.com/
Erdogan: strongman turned reformer
IS THE grand reformer back? It depends whom you ask. Many among Turkey's
tiny Syrian Orthodox Christian community, or Syriacs, would say `yes', in
response to the cocktail of legislative and administrative reforms unveiled
on September 30th by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the conservative prime minister.
It includes a provision under which the state will return land belonging to
Mor Gabriel, the world's oldest Syriac monastery.
Ask the country's largest ethnic minority, the Kurds, and you might get a
different response. Never mind that pupils at state-run schools will no
longer need to declare every Monday morning that `I am a Turk' or that
thousands of `Turkified' villages can reclaim their original names. In the
words of Gulten Kisanak, co-chair of Peace and Democracy (BDP), Turkey's
biggest pro-Kurdish party, `this package does not respond to any of our
expectations'.
Turkey retains its title as the world's biggest jailer of journalists. The
Greek Orthodox seminary on the island of Halki remains shut, despite
repeated pledges that it would soon reopen. The Alevis, Turkey's largest
and long-persecuted religious minority, who practice a uniquely liberal
form of Shia Islam, are perhaps the most disgruntled. Their demands for
Alevi houses of worship to be officially designated as such were again
ignored, just as Mr Erdogan's pro-Sunni foreign policy has sharpened
feelings of discrimination.
For all such grumbles, however, the reforms are a substantial step in the
right direction. They have helped to lift the gloom that has enveloped the
country after the government's brutal response to mass protests in June,
which claimed five lives and, according to a recent report by Amnesty
International, amounted to `human-rights violations on a huge scale'.
The Kurds, the main beneficiaries of the reforms, are right to bemoan the
absence of changes to Turkey's fearsome anti-terror laws, under which
thousands of hapless Kurdish activists have been jailed. But with municipal
elections due to be held next March, Mr Erdogan, who covets the presidency,
is wary of alienating his nationalist supporters. Even BDP officials
privately concede that Mr Erdogan, who became the first Turkish leader to
publicise peace talks with Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the
rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), can move only so fast.
Mr Ocalan, who continues to inspire fierce loyalty from millions of Kurds,
is likely to tell his commanders in the field that the reforms are good
enough for the moment, so they should stick with the ceasefire that has
been holding since March. Moreover, with its Syrian franchise, the
Democratic Unity Party (PYD), bogged down in a nasty war with assorted
Syrian rebels and worse with al-Qaeda-linked jihadists, the PKK can hardly
afford to resume its battle in Turkey.
The Kurds could join forces with the protesters and trigger a fresh wave of
unrest. But more than anything it is Turkey's continued support for groups
fighting the PYD that risks derailing the peace talks with Mr Ocalan. Yet
if the purpose of Turkey's proxy war against the Syrian Kurds is to dampen
their separatist impulses, history has shown that it is far more likely to
have the opposite effect.
Washington up in arms over Turkey's Chinese selection
/Oct 6/ neurope.eu/
The Turkish government announced a rather controversial decision to award a
Chinese company, slapped with U.S. sanctions, a tender to build Turkey's
first long-range air defence and anti-missile system.
China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corp (CPMIEC) beat out competition
from a U.S. partnership of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Russia's
Rosoboronexport, and the Italian-French consortium Eurosamrs in the tender.
According to Turkish media, the deal is worth $4bn.
CPMIEC, which has been hit by a series of U.S. sanctions over the past
decade, is accused of selling arms and missile technology to Iran and
Pakistan.
The U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that
Washington has `conveyed our serious concerns about the Turkish
government's contract discussions with a U.S.-sanctioned company for a
missile defence system that will not be interoperable with NATO systems or
collective defence capabilities'.
China's CPMIEC imports and exports defense missile weapon systems,
aerospace equipment, satellite technology and its applied products, special
devices, precision machinery, optical instruments, electronic products
special vehicles and technology.
Over 100,000 sex slaves in Turkey, half are children: NGO
/Oct 7/Tert.am/Anna Lindh Foundation/
There are over 100,000 women working as sex slaves in Turkey, of
which half are children, a non-governmental organization has
revealed in an extensive report on prostitution in the country
quoted Saturday by daily Hurriyet.
Up to 3,000 prostitutes work in brothels located in 55 of the 81
provinces of Turkey and 15,000 other registered prostitutes work
with an official document, according to the report prepared by
Sefkat-Der, a civil association founded to help marginalized
segments of society.
The most shocking aspect of the report, however, is that the number
of women selling sex on the streets has climbed to over 100,000,
half of whom are children. It stated that many underage girls from
impoverished families, especially in eastern and southeastern
provinces, had become victims of the "prostitution mafia."
Vulnerable children who have been the victim of abuse inside their
own family, orphans, and mentally challenged children are also often
prey for organized crime rings.
The report added that women up to the age of 60 are working in
brothels. Sefkat-Der attracted media attention last spring when it
filed a petition to Parliament to ask for permission to open a
brothel employing males, in protest at brothels where women are
employed.
For Sefkat-Der and women's associations, the fact that there are
more brothels in Turkey than women's shelters has long been a cause
of criticism of both the state and local government. (ANSAmed).
280,000 SERVICEMEN TO BE DEMOBILIZED IN TURKEY
/Oct 7/PanARMENIAN.Net/
Some 280,000 servicemen will be demobilized in Turkey in connection with
the adopted new law on reducing the period of military service, Haberler
reported citing Sabah newspaper.
According to the newspaper, about 40,000 people are expected to be
demobilized in the country within a few days. The remaining servicemen will
be demobilized in stages.
Earlier, the General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces announced an agreement
with the government on the reduction of the compulsory military service
period from 15 months to one year.
According to the statement of the General Staff, the compulsory military
service period for those who entered universities will be equal to six
months.
Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the
government's plans to reduce the military service term to 12 months.