Category: Eastern Europe

Turkey looking at EU alternative

Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.

WASHINGTON – Turkey is no closer to membership in the European Union now than when it first applied in 1959 and instead it is looking eastward to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization out of total exasperation, according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

The SCO is comprised of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Turkey, which is a long-standing member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, still holds out faint hope of joining the E.U.

The reality, however, is that fellow NATO members Germany, France and Greece have opposed Ankara’s membership, even though Turkey can ship its products duty-free to E.U. nations under a prior arrangement but people sending the products still need to file for a visa.

Turkey hopes to allow its citizens to enter into E.U. countries under the Schengen Treaty, which allows E.U. members to travel among the E.U. member countries without a visa.

“There is one issue that has been on top of our agenda still pending to be resolved,” said Egemen Bagis, Turkey’s Minister for E.U. relations, “the Schengen visa preventing the free travel of Turkish citizens.”

“It is not fair,” he said. “Turkey is the only E.U. candidate country, whose citizens are still subject to visas. Turkey is the only country that had formed a Customs Union with the E.U. without becoming a member. The products of Turkish businessmen can freely flow into the Union, but the owners of those products cannot freely travel.”

Bagis said that Turkey still seeks membership. However, the E. U. “actually wants to forget us. We are not the ones that are undecided – the European Union is. Whereas, if they would just reveal their true intentions to us, we would be at ease. We could just look after our own business and go our own way. The European Union needs to stop stalling us.”

Turkey’s total exasperation recently was exhibited by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“I told Russian President (Vladimir) Putin, ‘You should include us in the Shanghai Five and we will say farewell to the European Union.’”

Separately, Erdogen let his feelings be known that the SCO “is better and more powerful, and we have common values with them. We told them ‘if you say come, we will.’ Pakistan wants to join, as does India. They have also made requests. We could all join together. In terms of population and markets, the organization significantly surpasses the European Union in every way.”

Some observers believe Erdogan is using the SCO as leverage to get into the E.U. Others aren’t so sure. They point to the fact that Erdogan has made such statements in the past.

Given the E.U.’s economic problems, Erdogan may be looking to the developing markets such as China and India for future opportunities. Turkey’s membership would especially be an asset to China and Russia, which would have greater access to Western technology as a result of Turkey being a NATO member.

For Turkey, this arrangement also would be of political benefit since it would be able to reassert its influence in a fast-expanding market of Central and East Asian countries, where Turkey under the Ottoman Empire asserted great influence.

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via Turkey looking at EU alternative.

February 11, 2013
Czech firms turn toward Turkey

The two countries’ prime ministers focus on trade links at bilateral summit

Walter Novak

Nečas says there is scope for growth in trade between Turkey and the Czech Republic.

By Markéta Hulpachová and Daniel Bardsley

Staff Writers

The growing energy sector in Turkey offers major opportunities for Czech companies, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has indicated on a visit to Prague.

As the Czech utility ČEZ continues its heavy involvement in Turkey, Erdoğan said there would be scope for more Czech firms, with work such as cleaning up power plants and providing generators likely to figure highly.

Erdoğan even suggested there might be chances in the nuclear industry as Turkey presses ahead with its plan for three plants.

Making his comments Feb. 4 after talks with Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas, the Turkish prime minister said he wanted bilateral trade, currently around $2.65 billion a year, to nearly double to $5 billion in the coming years.

“The Czech Republic is skilled in energy infrastructure, has a lot of know-how and experience, and Turkey expects advancement, especially in hydro, coal [and] gas power plants,” Erdoğan said at a press conference alongside Nečas.

There was, he said, “room for cooperation” in work to reduce emissions at the country’s coal- and gas-fired power plants, adding the two countries should “take steps” together in nuclear energy.

“Now, a third nuclear plant is planned, and there is a possibility this will be a part of our strengthened mutual cooperation and contribute to raising the current [trade volume] numbers,” he said, referring to Turkey’s plan for its third nuclear power station – its first is not due to begin power generation until 2020 – to be built at Iğneada on the Black Sea coast.

ČEZ has for several years had major investments in Turkey, notably holding a stake in Akenerji, a major power-generation company, whose projects have included the building of the Egemer-Erzin gas-fired power plant, due to begin operations late next year. Škoda Power, based in Plzeň, has also secured large contracts in the power-generation sector, while other Czech players in Turkey include engineering companies Vítkovice and ČKD.

There could be opportunities for smaller Czech companies to win contracts, suggested Petr Bartek, an energy analyst at Erste Group Bank A in Prague.

“There’s a long-term experience in small Czech companies with construction of pipes and power plants and such things, so in Turkey there’s the outlook that there will be more installed capacity needed, and our companies are offering to bring the expertise,” he said.

“It’s not only about ČEZ, which is investing money there. It’s mainly about the small and midsize companies in the energy sector. This whole industry is quite well developed in the Czech Republic, and we have the know-how, and Turkey is a market that is expected to grow pretty fast in energy.”

Fueled by economic development in the country of 76 million, Turkey’s total electricity consumption could reach as much as 368 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2020, compared with 159.4 TWh in 2008.

Linked to Erdoğan’s visit, media reported that the Czech Republic and Turkey had finalized a memorandum of strategic energy partnership.

Nečas said there was scope for further significant growth in bilateral trade on the back of heavy increases in recent years.

“In the past 10 years, mutual trade has increased sevenfold, but we shouldn’t be happy with that as there is enormous potential for further development,” he said.

While Czech companies have been active in Turkey, especially in the energy sector, the presence of Turkish firms in the Czech Republic has been limited.

Indeed, Václav Hubinger, the Czech ambassador to Turkey, told media during a recent interview “the Turkish presence in the Czech market is almost zero.”

Erdoğan’s visit could help to change that, since the agenda also featured a business forum that included Czech companies and Turkish businesses. Significantly, the Turkish prime minister was accompanied by representatives of about 100 Turkish companies.

After talks between the two prime ministers, Nečas said he supported allowing Turkey entry into the European Union, while Erdoğan told media that membership for his country would improve the standing of the EU.

“The European Union should get strength from Turkey if it wants to be a global economic and political power. Today, the EU needs Turkey, not the other way around,” Erdoğan said.

While saying Turkey’s possible joining of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – a possibility some commentators have not taken seriously – did not preclude the country joining the EU, he criticized the 27-member European bloc for failing to grant Turkey membership so far.

The EU also came in for criticism over what Erdoğan indicated were inadequate efforts to aid Turkey’s efforts to combat terrorism. “We cannot seem to receive the necessary support from Europe,” he said in comments reported by the Turkish-based Hürriyet Daily News.

“Even when we alert the authorities on suspects and provide evidence of their terrorist acts, we don’t receive attention. They tell us they are following those suspects.”

The writers can be reached at [email protected]

via Czech firms turn toward Turkey – Business – The Prague Post.

February 8, 2013
Turkey Turning to Coal to Reduce Gazprom Dependence

LONDON — Worried about dependence on pricier gas from Iran and Russia, Turkey is turning to its own coal.

The country signed a deal with a United Arab Emirates company that will boost its coal-fired power capacity 67 percent.

Turkey’s biggest gas supplier is Gazprom, which accounts for about half of imports, but it is long-term supply from Iran that could pose the biggest concerns.

Turkey might not be able to continue to ignore further tightening of international sanctions aimed at curtailing the Iran’s nuclear program.

Ankara signed a $12 billion deal with TAQA to mine lignite coal and by 2020 build new power plants capable of generating up to 8,000 megawatts.

“The TAQA deal is first and foremost motivated by the need to refurbish and build new coal-fired power plants, but the move to develop coal stems from a general concern that Turkey is hugely dependent on others for its energy needs,” said Andrew Neff, a senior analyst for IHS Energy.

The European Association for Coal and Lignite, or Euracoal, said Turkey imports more than 70 percent of its primary energy needs. Most of the 30 million tons of hard coal it annually uses is supplied by Russia, Colombia, the United States and South Africa, according to Euracoal.

Natural gas imports, mainly from Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan, meet about 45 percent of Turkey’s demand for heat and power, according to the IEA, a dependency that comes with frequent price disputes with suppliers.

In another sign that Turkey’s policymakers are keen to reduce dependence on gas imports, the government said in December that it would not take part in Russia’s South Stream gas pipeline project.

The pipeline was designed to pump more than 60 billion cubic meters, almost twice Turkey’s annual gas demand, via the Black Sea into southern Europe. High gas prices, which make gas-fired power generation less attractive than coal, as well as concerns over gas-import dependence, have been shared by several European countries.

Consuming countries complain that Gazprom charges too much for its gas and that its long-term supply contracts are too inflexible. The European Union opened an antitrust case against Gazprom last year, sparking a political feud with Moscow.

In Germany, cheap coal prices have led to strong growth in coal-fired power generation.

In Poland, which relies heavily on Russian gas supplies but is also a big user of the more-polluting lignite that Turkey mines, the government is eying potentially large domestic supplies of unconventional natural gas sources, such as shale gas.

Ukraine said last month that it had secured a $3.6 billion loan from China that will switch power plants from imported natural gas to gasified coal.

Despite Turkey’s long-term aim of becoming less reliant on imports, its demand for Russian gas in the short term will likely rise to meet booming demand, Neff said.

via Turkey Turning to Coal to Reduce Gazprom Dependence | Business | The Moscow Times.

January 14, 2013
Czechs join NATO defense mission in Turkey

In the next couple of weeks, four Czech soldiers are set to join other troops from Germany, Holland, Slovakia and others in Turkey. The NATO-approved mission aims to help the Turks protect their border with Syria and prevent the civil war in Syria from spilling over.
German Military trucks and other vehicles for the ‘Patriot’ defense missiles are loaded onto the Danish ferry in the harbor of Luebeck, January 8, 2013, photo:
German Military trucks and other vehicles for the ‘Patriot’ defense missiles are loaded onto the Danish ferry in the harbor of Luebeck, January 8, 2013, photo: CTKGerman Military trucks and other vehicles for the ‘Patriot’ defense missiles are loaded onto the Danish ferry in the harbor of Luebeck, January 8, 2013, photo: CTK In early December, the US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced to the Turkish military that America was ready to help defend its NATO ally. Soon after, the German and Dutch parliaments also approved the deployment of their Patriot PAC-3 missile defense batteries that will protect the southern Turkish-Syrian border. To service the missile defense system and help the Turkish army reinforce their other defense mechanisms, a little over 1,000 NATO troops have also been deployed.

The Czech soldiers will join their Slovak and Polish colleagues from the 3rd NATO communication battalion by the end of January. German and Dutch troops should already be on the ground in southern Turkey. According to Petr Pavel, the chief-of-staff of the Czech army, the Czech soldiers are going to Turkey in an assistance capacity.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas, Petr Pavel, photo: CTKCzech Prime Minister Petr Nečas, Petr Pavel, photo: CTK “The Turks have asked for the Patriot missile defense system after a Turkish airplane was shot down in June of last year. Our soldiers will not be directly part of the Patriot system. They will be in supporting positions of its command and operations system.”

The four soldiers from the Lipník nad Bečvou military base belong to the 102nd communication division and are trained to operate the DCM communication module, which usually serves mobile command posts. Their role in the mission is to set up and oversee the communication system between the commanders of the NATO mission and the units operating the Patriot defense system.

Binnish, Syria, photo: CTKBinnish, Syria, photo: CTK The Syrian government and media cried foul immediately after NATO agreed to send Patriot missiles and troops to Turkey, claiming that the Northern alliance is actually trying to protect insurgents in the north of the country. But Turkish officials say they are simply trying to prevent any Syrian missiles from penetrating their airspace again. The Patriot missiles, they claim, will be positioned far enough from the border that they would not be able to help anti-government troops in Syria.

So far, the allied mission in Turkey is set to take place in four three-month rotations of army specialists. NATO is likely to request the Czech Republic to participate in each of them, but as of right now the Czech soldiers are planning to return home in April.

via Radio Prague – Czechs join NATO defense mission in Turkey.

January 12, 2013
Turkey could get more natural gas from Russia

MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (UPI) — A spokeswoman for the Russian Energy Ministry said Moscow was ready to increase the amount of natural gas it ships to Turkey.

Russia sends around 950 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year to Turkey through the Blue Stream and Transbalkan pipelines. An unnamed spokeswoman for the country’s Energy Ministry told the Platts news service that more gas could be delivered at Ankara’s request.

“In principle, Russia is ready to increase supplies to Turkey by 100 billion cubic feet year, we are waiting for an official request from the Turkish side,” she said.

During a visit from Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said Ankara is keen to secure more natural gas from Russia in light of sanctions on Iran.

Yildiz said both sides could work outside conventional contractual frameworks to increase gas deliveries.

Russian energy company Gazprom aims to build its South Stream gas pipeline through Turkish territory for European consumers. Turkey would also host pipeline networks that would ship non-Russian supplies to the eurozone.

via Turkey could get more natural gas from Russia – UPI.com.

December 20, 2012
TOP PROTON THERAPY CENTER BEING OPENED IN THE HEART OF EUROPE

PRESS RELEASE

Prague, 12 December 2012

TOP PROTON THERAPY CENTER BEING OPENED IN THE HEART OF EUROPE

From December 2012, oncological patients can access proton therapy in a brand new Proton Therapy Center Czech which has just opened in Prague. It is only a fifth center in Europe and currently the best equipped center in the world. The facility is going to attract child and adult cancer patients from throughout the world who are seeking advanced cancer care with few treatment-related side effects.

Launching its first fixed-beam treatment room, the center is going to treat prostate and brain cancer this year. With launching another four treatment rooms, it will soon start treating head and neck tumors, child cancer, lung cancer, eye melanoma or pancreatic cancer; this means indications that are difficult to treat by conventional radiotherapy. The benefits for the patients are mainly lower damage of healthy tissue, less side effects and complications and better chances of cure. Ability to precisely irradiate only the tumor with the highest possible dose is what makes proton therapy a revolutionary form of cancer treatment.

The center provides the necessary comfort for international patients, including English and Russian speaking medical personnel. There are patient managers who help facilitating medical visas, medical documentation and made to measure services for foreign patients. The center provides full entry examinations and diagnostic methods including PET/CT scanning.It also employs international specialists in medical physics and radiation oncology such as the former medical director of the Rinecker Proton Therapy Center in Munich, Germany. “The goal of the Czech center is to maximize the curability in the shortest time possible by applying maximal treatment dose, “ saysProfessor Dr. Herbst.

ABOUT PROTON THERAPY CENTER CZECH
Proton Therapy Center Czech is a privately owned and operated cancer center that relies on the power of proton beams to cure cancers with minimal treatment-related side effects. The center operates in cooperation with the public hospitals and clinics of the Czech Republic and other proton therapy centers abroad both already running (RPTC Pennsylvania, UFPTI Jacksonville) and being prepared (University of Uppsala Sweden, PTC Holland, Krakow). With the idea of making the treatment available to the largest number of patients PTC Czech has already started preparing patient programs with the leading oncological centers in Europe, Asia and Africa. Website: http://en.ptc.cz/

Press contact: Jana Kulhankova, Ph.D., [email protected]

December 14, 2012