Turkish Forum English

Category: EU Members

European Council decided to open accession negotiations with Turkey on 17 Dec. 2004

ITCCS : Why the Pope retired For Real

ITCCS : Why the Pope retired For Real : Kevin Annett : European Governance issued an arrest warrant : and Closure and seizure of Vatican assetts : Here are all the notices and dates :

Historic, Breaking News: Wednesday, February 12/13, 2013

Pope Benedict resigned to avoid arrest, seizure of church wealth by Easter –

Diplomatic Note was issued to Vatican just prior to his resignation

New Pope and Catholic clergy face indictment and arrest as “Easter Reclamation” plan continues

A Global Media Release and Statement from The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS)

Brussels:

The historically unprecedented resignation of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope this week was compelled by an upcoming action by a European government to issue an arrest warrant against Ratzinger and a public lien against Vatican property and assets by Easter.

The ITCCS Central Office in Brussels is compelled by Pope Benedict’s sudden abdication to disclose the following details:

1. On Friday, February 1, 2013, on the basis of evidence supplied by our affiliated Common Law Court of Justice (itccs.org), our Office concluded an agreement with representatives of a European nation and its courts to secure an arrest warrant against Joseph Ratzinger, aka Pope Benedict, for crimes against humanity and ordering a criminal conspiracy.

2. This arrest warrant was to be delivered to the office of the “Holy See” in Rome on Friday, February 15, 2013. It allowed the nation in question to detain Ratzinger as a suspect in a crime if he entered its sovereign territory.

3. A diplomatic note was issued by the said nation’s government to the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, on Monday, February 4, 2013, informing Bertone of the impending arrest warrant and inviting his office to comply. No reply to this note was received from Cardinal Bertone or his office; but six days later, Pope Benedict resigned.

4. The agreement between our Tribunal and the said nation included a second provision to issue a commercial lien through that nation’s courts against the property and wealth of the Roman Catholic churchcommencing on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013. This lien was to be accompanied by a public and global “Easter Reclamation Campaign” whereby Catholic church property was to be occupied and claimed by citizens as public assets forfeited under international law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

5. It is the decision of our Tribunal and the said nation’s government to proceed with the arrest of Joseph Ratzinger upon his vacating the office of the Roman Pontiff on a charge of crimes against humanity and criminal conspiracy.

6. It is our further decision to proceed as well with the indictment and arrest of Joseph Ratzinger’s successor as Pope on the same charges; and to enforce the commercial lien and “Easter Reclamation Campaign” against the Roman Catholic church, as planned.

In closing, our Tribunal acknowledges that Pope Benedict’s complicity in criminal activities of the Vatican Bank (IOR) was compelling his eventual dismissal by the highest officials of the Vatican. But according to our sources, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone forced Joseph Ratzinger’s resignation immediately, and in direct response to the diplomatic note concerning the arrest warrant that was issued to him by the said nation’s government on February 4, 2013.

We call upon all citizens and governments to assist our efforts to legally and directly disestablish the Vatican, Inc. and arrest its chief officers and clergy who are complicit in crimes against humanity and the ongoing criminal conspiracy to aid and protect child torture and trafficking.

Further bulletins on the events of the Easter Reclamation Campaign will be issued by our Office this week.

Issued 13 February, 2013

12:00 am GMT

by the Brussels Central Office,

The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State

via ITCCS : Why the Pope retired For Real : Kevin Annett : European Governance issued an arrest warrant : and Closure and seizure of Vatican assetts : Here are all the notices and dates : « lightworkersxm.

February 14, 2013
German DIY chain Praktiker withdraws from Turkey

Feb 11 (Reuters) – German do-it-yourself chain Praktiker AG is closing its stores in Turkey and withdrawing from the country after failing to sell the nine stores its operates there.

The company, which is battling to return to profit, said on Monday its Turkish subsidiary filed for managed insolvency proceedings with an Istanbul court earlier in the day.

“We cannot afford a persistent loss-maker like Turkey. We made intensive efforts to sell our Turkish subsidiary but could not reach an agreement that was economically acceptable for us,” Praktiker Chief Executive Armin Burger said in a statement.

He said the company should manage to improve profitability in all other countries in which it runs stores by adjusting structures and processes and by further curbing costs. (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by David Holmes)

via German DIY chain Praktiker withdraws from Turkey | Reuters.

February 14, 2013
Lurgan band move to Turkey and become serious Eurovision contenders

IN tonight’s Lurgan Mail we bring you an exclusive report on a Lurgan band who are bidding for Eurovision glory.

(Their Song : )

Inchequin looked to have called it a day when Hugh O’Neill and Sinead Bradley moved to Turkey, but instead the move has rejuvenated the band to the point where they’ve recruited three new members, all of whom are household names in their native Turkey, and become serious contenders for the Eurovision crown.

Their song ‘Son Kez’ is competing to become Ireland’s Eurovision entry. Read all about it in this week’s Lurgan Mail.

via Lurgan band move to Turkey and become serious Eurovision contenders – Local – Lurgan Mail.

February 14, 2013
Turkey Moves Closer to EU Membership Talks

France on Tuesday said it was ready to resume EU accession talks with Turkey, marking a warming of ties after a long period of bilateral tension under former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Speaking at the sidelines of a conference on Libya on Tuesday, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius told his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu that Paris is ready to unblock European Union membership talks on the subject of regional policy.

“I confirmed to him that we were ready … to begin discussions on chapter 22,” Fabius told a news conference. Turkey has completed just one of 35 policy “chapters” every candidate must conclude to join the EU. All but 13 of those chapters are blocked by France, Cyprus and the European Commission.

Turkey launched a formal EU accession bid in 2005, four decades after the first talks but the process has stalled due to opposition from core EU members France and Germany as well as an intractable dispute over Cyprus, the divided island state that Turkey does not recognise.

The talks have also been blocked by the European Commission, which says that Turkey does not yet meet the required standards on human rights, freedom of speech and religion.

“This is certainly a change of attitude from the former government,” said one official in Paris, although he added it was “too early” to tell whether France would now swing fully behind Turkish EU membership – a sharp contrast to Sarkozy’s position that Turkey did not form part of Europe.

Related Story: While Turkey’s Economic Star Rises, Sarkozy’s France Finds Irrelevance

Another French diplomatic described it as “a political signal, a first step” to pave the way for French President Francois Hollande to visit Turkey, although no date has been set.

Despite the slow progress, the eurozone crisis and waning domestic support, Turkey has continued to push for full membership in the EU and has said it wants to join before 2023, the centenary of its founding as a republic.

Earlier this month, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said his country’s half-century wait join the EU was “unforgivable” and it should be admitted without delay.

Erdogan has previously warned that the EU could “at the very least” lose Turkey if the bloc continues to alienate and give it the cold shoulder and recently raised the possibility of deepening ties with the Russian-Chinese backed Shanghai Co-operation Organisation instead.

At the end of last year, Ankara accused the EU of “biased and unwarranted bigoted attitudes” in an official report on its membership application process.

In a statement accompanying the official 270-page report, Turkey’s EU affairs minister Egemen Bagis said:

Today there is no government in Europe which is more reformist than our government. While EU countries are struggling in crisis, our country is experiencing the most democratic, prosperous, modern and transparent period in its history. The ‘sick man’ of yesterday has got up and summoned the strength to prescribe medication for today’s Europe … and to share the EU’s burden rather than being a burden to it.

In the decade ending 2012, Turkey recorded the highest-growth rate among the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development economies and is expected to grow 4 percent or more in 2013.

via Turkey Moves Closer to EU Membership Talks | Economy Watch.

February 14, 2013
EP politician says Erdogan’s criticism of EU ‘sad’

EP politician says Erdogan’s criticism of EU ‘sad’

Influential European Parliament politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff said it was “sad” to hear such complaints from Turkish PM

World Bulletin/News Desk

Responding to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s criticism of the EU during his Eastern European tour, influential European Parliament politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff said it was “sad” to hear such complaints from Erdoğan.

Noting that Turkey has not made long-standing reforms in the past 50 years due to military interventions and still has problems with regard to human rights, one of the leading members of the European Parliament, Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Vice Chair Lambsdorff, said: “It is sad that Erdoğan criticizes the EU in this way. He knows very well that the past 50 years in Turkey have not seen continuous progress in terms of democracy. On the contrary, military coups, human rights problems and lack of political pluralism have remained serious impediments to real progress.”

The German politician made it clear that it is not the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) that is responsible for what has happened in recent decades to halt Turkey’s bid to join the EU. However, he underlined that the pace of reform under Erdoğan’s AK Party government has also slowed recently. “These are not the fault of the current government, obviously, but the AK Party’s reforms have slowed down so dramatically that Europe is the one expecting a move from Turkey today rather than the other way around,” he said.

Speaking on Turkey’s EU accession bid early in the week while on a trip to Central Europe, Erdoğan said that Ankara is determined to revive the country’s negotiation talks and that he will pay a visit to Brussels in the near future as part of this effort. He said there are “many things” to talk about with regard to the membership talks. He said it took less than a decade for the Czech Republic to become a member of the 27-member club but that Turkey has been waiting on the EU’s doorstep for more than 50 years. “Keeping Turkey busy at the door to the EU is unforgivable,” Erdoğan said. “Why are you making us wait for 54 years? … Even if the EU does not take us in, we want our cooperation to continue,” the prime minister said, adding that Turkey already has 5 million people living in the EU.

German Greens co-leader Cem Özdemir has also said that Turkey’s reconsideration of its EU membership bid despite some positive developments is quite surprising.

The prospect of a peacefully united Europe in the 21st century cannot be realized without Turkey, Özdemir said. Turkey is of great importance to Europe in overcoming its difficulties, he added, referring to the ongoing financial crisis in Europe.

“The fact that dissenting views have been expressed [about the EU bid] despite the conditions in favor of Turkey surprises me. I think no one should join those who stand against Turkey’s EU membership,” the politician said. He then promised to support Turkey’s EU bid if his party comes to power in Germany. He said Germany will be one of two countries to throw its support behind Turkey’s bid and indicated that Spain is the other.

Turkey began accession talks with the EU in 2005, but progress has been slow since then due to the Cyprus dispute as well as opposition to Turkey’s membership by some member countries, including France and Germany. Of the 35 chapters that must be successfully negotiated by any candidate country as a condition for membership, only 13 have been opened by Turkey; 17 have been blocked and four have not yet been opened — only one is provisionally closed, on science and research. No chapters have been opened since the end of the Spanish presidency in June 2010.

via EP politician says Erdogan’s criticism of EU ‘sad’ | Politics | World Bulletin.

February 11, 2013
Turkey warns Eni about consequences of cooperation with Cyprus

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 8 / Trend, A. Taghiyeva /

Italian company Eni’s cooperation with Cyprus in the field of hydrocarbon exploration in the eastern part of Mediterranean may negatively affect the company’s projects in Turkey, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said today, Anadolu agency reported.

He added that holding such operations in a special economic zone is contrary to international law, so Turkey is ready to impose sanctions against companies cooperating with Cyprus in the area.

After Nicosia started working to develop the shelf off the coast of the island divided into Greek and Turkish parts in September 2011, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara along with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will begin exploring oil and gas in a special economic zone of Northern Cyprus.

Turkey has repeatedly expressed its categorical protest against operations, demanding the cancelation of plans to develop hydrocarbons by Cyprus.

Ankara does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, maintaining relations only with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. A corps of Turkish troops has been there since 1974.

via Turkey warns Eni about consequences of cooperation with Cyprus – Trend.Az.

February 11, 2013