Category: Middle East

‘Turkey first state with ambassador to Palestine’

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer

Turkey’s consul general to the Palestinian Authority has presented his credentials to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and will become the first ambassador recognized by Palestine, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Monday.

The move comes after the Palestinian upgrade to non-member observer state at the UN General Assembly in November.

Turkey was one of a large majority of states which recognized the PA’s status upgrade at the United Nations.

Şakir Torunlar, who has served as the consul general in Jerusalem, which provides consular services for Turkish citizens in the West Bank and Gaza, will be the new Turkish Ambassador to Palestine, according to the report.

The move came weeks after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s apology to Turkey for operational errors committed that may have led to a loss of life on the Mavi Marmara in May 2010. Nine Turks were killed when Israel Navy commandos, trying to keep the ship from breaking the blockade of the Gaza Strip, were attacked by those on board.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit the Gaza Strip for the first time at the end of May, Hurriyet reported on Monday.

Herb Keinon contributed to this report.

via ‘Turkey first state with ambassador to Palestine’ | JPost | Israel News.

April 16, 2013
Egyptian legislators approve Bourse tax, Turkey loan

Egypt’s Shura Council approve new taxes, tax hikes and a $1 billion loan

Ahram Online

Egypt’s Shura council, currently tasked with legislation, approved on Saturday tax increases and stamp duties, and a loan from Turkey.

The council passed a stamp duty levy on stock market transactions, amounting to 0.002 percent, to be imposed on buyers and sellers equally. Other initially proposed taxes on capital gains and dividends was not passed.

“The new tax will not affect market activity, but it will help curb speculative trading and encourage medium and long term investment,” Abdallah Shehata, adviser to the minister of finance told state owned Al-Ahram daily.

The council also approved an increase in stamp duties levied on advertisements from 15 to 20 percent.

Turkish support

The Shura Council has approved a loan deal between Egypt and the Export Credit Bank of Turkey whereby Turkey provides $1 billion for Egyptian investors importing Turkish capital goods and machinery.

Egypt is currently seeking international support to curb its balance of payments deficit. Last week, Egypt announced it will receive a $2 billion loan from the Libyan government and will also get $3 billion from Qatar in the form of US dollars denoted treasury bonds.

via Egyptian legislators approve Bourse tax, Turkey loan – Economy – Business – Ahram Online.

April 15, 2013
Iranian companies in Istanbul expo receive foreign offers

Several companies of foreign countries have called for signing contracts with Iranian companies participating in Istanbul exhibition, an Iranian official said, IRNA reported.

Managing Director of Iran Khodroˈs Special Cooperative Office in Turkey Kambiz Mir-Karimi made the remarks in an exclusive interview with IRNA on Sunday.

He described the participation of Iranˈs auto spare parts company in International Auto Spare Parts Exhibition in Istanbul as positive and constructive.

ˈAlthough one day is still remaining to the end of exhibition, several Egyptian, Tunisian, Turkish and Moroccan companies after visiting the pavilions of Iranian spare parts manufacturers have called for signing cooperation pacts with them,ˈ Mir-Karimi said.

Istanbulˈs International Automechanika Exhibition is held every year and it is one of Turkeyˈs important specialized exhibitions.

A total of 40 countries had participated in exhibition last year and more than 36,000 people from 100 countries visited the exhibition last year.

A total of 28 industrial companies from Iran have taken part in Istanbul exhibition this year.

via Iranian companies in Istanbul expo receive foreign offers – Trend.Az.

April 15, 2013
Despite Israel’s apology, Turkey not normalizing ties

Despite Israel’s apology, Turkey not normalizing ties

NATO planned to invite foreign ministers from Mediterranean countries, including Israel and six Arab states, but Turkey nixes Israeli participation • Erdoğan: Turkey will not send an envoy to Tel Aviv before Israel lifts its naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Eli Leon and Israel Hayom Staff

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. | Photo credit: AP

Despite the Israeli apology for the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, Turkey said it objects to meeting Israeli diplomats at the upcoming Mediterranean Dialogue group, in which Israel was supposed to have participated for the first time since 2008.

In addition, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Saturday that Turkey will not send an envoy to Israel as part of a recent move for normalization of ties before Israel lifts its naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Erdoğan reiterated Turkey’s stance on the issue and said Israel should lift the blockade before full restoration of diplomatic ties, Turkish newspaper Sunday Zaman reported.

According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the 12th and current secretary-general of NATO, planned to invite the foreign ministers from Mediterranean countries, including from Israel and six Arab states, but Turkey has objected, arguing that “it wasn’t the right time” for such a meeting.

“The general-secretary was planning to invite the foreign ministers of the Mediterranean Dialogue countries on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers meeting scheduled for April 23 but Turkey objected to the idea,” a Western diplomatic source told Hürriyet on the condition of anonymity.

A Turkish official told Hurriyet that “at this stage, such a meeting would not be useful.”

According to the newspaper, the official also said that Egypt and Tunisia, two members of the Mediterranean Dialogue, did not want to hold such meeting at this stage either.

NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue was initiated in 1994 by the North Atlantic Council. It currently involves seven non-NATO countries in the Mediterranean region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

According to Hurriyet, Turkey has been having a tough time normalizing relations with Israel since the relatives of slain Turkish activists still appear defiant about continuing their lawsuits against senior Israeli officials, with one even declaring that he would hand his compensation money from Israel to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The dropping of legal cases against Israeli officials was one of the core conditions that Israel demanded from Turkey as part of the apology deal.

via Israel Hayom | Despite Israel’s apology, Turkey not normalizing ties.

April 15, 2013
Belgium asks Turkey to watch for Belgians crossing into Syria

“We are in close cooperation with Turkey on this issue and we have asked them for additional monitoring [of border crossings],” Joelle Milquet, Belgium’s deputy prime minister and interior minister, said during a radio interview on Saturday.

Belgium has asked Turkey to help in its efforts to prevent Belgian nationals from illegally crossing into Syria to fight alongside opposition forces trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“We are in close cooperation with Turkey on this issue and we have asked them for additional monitoring [of border crossings],” Joelle Milquet, Belgium’s deputy prime minister and interior minister, said during a radio interview on Saturday. She said she was planning to travel to Turkey for further talks on the matter.

Milquet’s remarks come amid growing media attention on Belgian youth secretly traveling to Syria to join anti-regime fighters there, upsetting their families in most cases. The Belgian government has taken some measures to prevent such travels, introducing restrictions on traveling to Turkey for teenagers younger than 16. Particularly those youth living in neighborhoods populated by Moroccan immigrants are reported to be under increased police scrutiny.

Turkey has received hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have fled the civil war in their country and is a major supporter of the opposition forces trying to topple the Assad regime. Assad accuses Turkey of allowing foreign fighters and arms to cross into Syria, a charge Turkey denies.

via Belgium asks Turkey to watch for Belgians crossing into Syria | Europe | World Bulletin.

April 15, 2013
Turkey opts out of NATO talks with Israel

By TOVAH LAZAROFF

Tunisia, Egypt also reportedly dismissed potential meeting; group intended to discuss security in region has not met since 2008.

Erdogan visits Egypt Photo: AMR ABDALAH DALSH / REUTERS

Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt rejected plans to hold a meeting of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue group, Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported on Saturday. Israel is one of the Dialogue group’s seven member-nations.

The Mediterranean Dialogue group for Foreign Ministers – which also includes Algeria, Jordan, Mauritania and Morocco – has not met since 2008, according to Hurriyet.

A Turkish official told Hurriyet that the meetings had not been held because of political problems between Israel and Arab member-nations.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office had no comment.

News that Turkey was among the countries that nixed the meeting comes as Jerusalem and Ankara struggle to reestablish diplomatic relations.

Ties between Israel and Turkey were severed in 2010 after the IDF raided the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara and killed nine Turkish activists.

Last month, at the end of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkey for the deaths.

Turkey, in turn, agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties.

However, it then asked Israel to delay sending a delegation to Turkey to discuss issues relating to the restoring of diplomatic relations.

The delegation, which had been scheduled to leave for Ankara at the start of the month, is now scheduled to depart on April 22.

via Turkey opts out of NATO talks with Israel | JPost | Israel News.

April 14, 2013