Turkish Forum

Category: News

  • Which direction for Turkey now?

    Which direction for Turkey now?

    Not so long ago the question of “who lost Turkey?” seemed to dominate US think tank discussions and conferences.

    Turkey’s refusal to allow US troops to use its territory to open a second front against Saddam Hussein provoked the worst crisis in relations between Ankara and Washington that many commentators could remember.

    Worse, the arrival into power of the Justice and Development Party (the AKP) with its Islamist roots, which then embarked upon a new foreign policy of outreach towards the Middle East, seemed to confirm the fears of many in Washington.

    Turkey, they felt, was inexorably being drawn back into the Middle East and Asia and away from its long-standing anchorage in Nato and the West.

    BBC NEWS | Europe | Which direction for Turkey now?.

  • Transsexual Turkish singer defends self in court

    Transsexual Turkish singer defends self in court

    ANKARA, Turkey – A transsexual singer charged with illegally criticizing mandatory military service in Turkey said in court Wednesday she would say the same thing again.

    Singer Bulent Ersoy has acknowledged saying on television that if she had children she would not want them to join the army to battle Kurdish rebels who are fighting for self-rule.

    Advertisement “I spoke in the name of humanity. Even if I were to face execution, I would say the same thing,” the state-run Anatolia news agency quoted Ersoy as telling the court in Istanbul.

    In Turkey, defendants are not expected to enter a plea before a panel of judges hears testimony at a trial and returns a verdict.

    Ersoy questioned the fairness of a law making it a crime to criticize Turkey’s mandatory 15-month military service for all men over 20. If found guilty, she could face two years in prison.

    Ersoy, 56, who sings traditional Turkish music and dresses in flamboyant gowns, served in the military before her 1981 sex-change operation, her lawyer Muhittin Yuzuak told the court Wednesday.

    A small group of pro-Kurdish protesters demonstrated outside the court house in support of the singer, holding a banner that read in Kurdish “Long live Diva.”

    SignOnSanDiego.com > News > World — Transsexual Turkish singer defends self in court.

  • Newsweek: Turkey’s Media War

    Newsweek: Turkey’s Media War

    Newsweek:  Turkey’s Media War

    For the last six years, the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, TUSIAD, has been a crucial source of support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The pro-business, pro-European Union group provided the party with domestic and international legitimacy, and armed it with the means to fight off accusations that it was an Islamist party. But over the last several months the relationship between TUSIAD and the AKP, always an uneasy one, has faltered. AKP leader and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sharply attacked Aydin Dogan—whose family holds the presidency of the association and owns roughly half the Turkish media—characterizing Dogan as a rich and corrupt businessman. [link]

    Editor’s WebBlog :  Turkey: Conflict between government and largest media group

    In recent weeks Turkey’s government and largest independent media group, Dogan Holding, have been in the midst of a fierce battle. Hurriyet-20040209.jpgDogan Holding operates in TV, radio broadcasting, print and online media.  Dogan publishes seven newspapers including Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Posta, Fanatik, Referans and Turkish Daily News. The Dogan family holds the presidency of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, Tusiad. [link]

  • US urges EU to diversify energy supplies

    US urges EU to diversify energy supplies

    BRUSSELS, Belgium: Russia’s fight with Georgia has added new urgency to the Europe Union’s need to find alternatives to Russian oil and gas imports, the new U.S. ambassador to the EU said Monday.

    “Russia’s willingness to defy the international community, act in violation of international law, (and) be threatening in its neighborhood is a reminder of why progress on this issue is so important,” ambassador Kristen Silverberg said.

    At an emergency summit on the Georgia conflict early this month, EU leaders called for a study into how the 27-nation body can find alternative energy sources to diminish growing dependence on Russia, which currently supplies a third of EU oil imports and more than 40 percent of the natural gas European Union countries buy from abroad.

    Silverberg told reporters the EU should work with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and other nations to diversify sources of energy and supply routes for oil and gas from the Caspian and Central Asian regions.

    “We hope that Europe will engage with active outreach with some of the supplier countries, the Azeris for example,” she said. “We have always thought that it was in Europe’s interest to diversify its supply routes generally.”

    In particular, the EU should work closely with Turkey to develop pipelines and other infrastructure to ensure oil and gas can flow westward through routes not controlled by Moscow, she told reporters Monday.

    “We hope that Europe will work closely with Turkey to help make sure that Turkey is a viable and active transit route for Caspian gas,” Silverberg added.

    “That involves negotiating with Turkey over reasonable terms for a transit agreement. It means working with Turkey on helping to improve its infrastructure so helping to make sure its an efficient transit route.”

    One project under consideration is the so-called Nabucco pipeline, which would deliver gas from Turkmenistan and other Central Asian and Caspian countries westward through Turkey while bypassing Russia.

    The project, however, has been slowed by high costs and uncertainty over sources of supply, and Russia is promoting rival routes through its territory as a cheaper and safer alternative.

     

    International Herald Tribune  22 September 2008

  • The Great Turkish Rip-off

    The Great Turkish Rip-off

    By Robert Ellis, September 22 2008

    Corruption in Turkey is endemic, stretching back to the Ottoman empire in the sixteenth century, but it was not until the liberalization of the Turkish economy in the 1980’s under Turgut Özal it took on a new dimension. Özal’s remark, “My civil servants know how to take care of business”, has become apocryphal, but there was a lift-off in the 1990’s.

    Tansu Ciller, who became Turkey’s first female prime minister in 1993, bowed out in style three years later, when she issued an order for the release of 500 billion Turkish lira ($6.5 million) from the state slush fund for “secret service expenses”, and a convoy of lorries travelled round Ankara at the dead of night to collect the cash from various banks. A parliamentary majority later acquitted her of any wrongdoing.

    Bertolt Brecht’s conclusion, “Robbing a bank’s no crime compared to owning one”, took on a new take in Turkey under Mesut Yilmaz, who became premier three times from 1991 to 1999. With the right political support it was possible to open a bank and siphon off the liquidity, but with the financial crisis of 2001 21 banks were taken into receivership with a cost to the state of $60 billion.

    The Great Turkish Rip-off | EuropeNews.

  • Five myths about travel in Turkey

    Five myths about travel in Turkey

    By Darren Cronian on Sunday, September 21st, 2008

    I am really glad that I made the decision to ignore the negative comments about Turkey, which ranged from the Turkish people hate English tourists to Turkey is dangerous due to too many bombings on tourists. Even in resort, I heard so many English people complaining about one thing or another.

    I have written my responses to five myths about Turkey.

    The locals use camels as the main form of transport

    Do not laugh, a friend asked me if I was comfortable riding around on camels because this was their main form of public transport. He was deadly serious. I am sure in some parts of Turkey, camels are widely used, but no, I did not find a camel parked up outside of the hotel entrance waiting for me.

    Turkey is cheap as chips

    Not true anymore, it is very expensive, and I think a lot of people, myself included, were surprised how expensive it was. The price of food and drink was the same as the UK, the beer a little bit cheaper. From speaking with tourists that visit Turkey every year, prices have shot up in the last 12 months.

    Turkey is dirty and unhygienic

    I have done a fair bit of travelling over the years and I would say that Turkey stands out as one of the cleanest places I have visited. For a start, did you know that the refuse bins are emptied three times a day, not once a week like in Britain? The toilets in general were okay, I came across a few dodgy ones.

    Locals drag you in to the shops

    Up until two years ago, owners would drag you into their shop or restaurant but the government acted on complaints and asked them not to do this anymore. You will still find that owners stand outside to entice you into the shop or restaurant. It is a little annoying but you quickly get used to it.

    All the locals wear red fez hats

    One work colleague said that all of the locals wear red fez hats. You know what I mean, right? The hat that the comedian, Tommy Cooper used to wear. I had this vision in my head that I would walk into the airport, they would be fez hats everywhere, and I was disappointed when I did not see one.

    It is funny hearing what people see when you mention a destination.