Turkey Letter: April 2, 2018

Foreign Policy:

  • Turkey may hit targets outside its borders at any time: Erdoğan
  • Turkish jets hit eight PKK targets in northern Iraq
  • Afrin operation consistent with international law: Turkish Chief of General Staff
  • Putin to attend Akkuyu nuclear plant ground-breaking ceremony
  • Erdogan Calls Netanyahu ‘Terrorist’ as Insults Fly After Gaza Deaths
  • Foreign Press Association in Italy gets its first Turkish chairwoman
  • Turkish Leader Slams Kosovo’s PM Over Secret Deportations
  • Erdoğan, Trump confirm united stance on increasing cooperation, coordination
  • Turkey lashes out at France over support for YPG in Syria
  • Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders to meet April 16, first since peace talks collapse
  • Turkey Says Will Take Action if Militants Do Not Leave Syria’s Manbij
  • EU-Turkey summit: Erdogan hopes tough period in the past

 

Economy and Energy:

  • Turkey sees 3 million foreign arrivals in first two months of 2018: Ministry
  • Turkey’s foreign trade gap widened over 54 pct year-on-year in February
  • Turkish economy grows 7.4 percent in 2017, exceeds forecast
  • Turkish gov’t announces new plans to boost investment, ease doing business
  • Energy sector employers must recruit more women: GE Turkey head
  • Turkish Lira keeps sliding against dollar, euro

 

Domestic Politics:

  • Turkey seeks arrest of Fethullah Gülen over Russian Ambassador Karlov’s murder
  • Turkish court to try Albanian ‘drug kingpin’ caught in Turkey’s west
  • Turkish court issues arrest warrant, red notice for journalist Can Dündar
  • Nearly 900 undocumented migrants captured in Turkey
  • Turkish President Erdoğan recites Islamic prayer at the Hagia Sophia
  • İYİ Party holds first congress in Ankara
  • Erdoğan urges AKP officials ‘not to talk negatively about the economy’
  • Six Turkish village guards killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s Siirt
  • Turkey: 17 People, Mainly Migrants, Killed in Road Accident
  • Turkey orders 70 army officers detained over Gulen links: CNN Turk

Foreign Politics:

 

Turkey may hit targets outside its borders at any time: Erdoğan

Turkey is capable of carrying out operations against groups it deems terrorists without any “approval” from foreign countries, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed.

Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey may hit targets outside its borders at any time: Erdoğan, April 2, 2018


Turkish jets hit eight PKK targets in northern Iraq

Turkish jets on April 1 destroyed eight targets used as shelters by militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the Turkish military said on April 2, adding that counter-terror operations were conducted in the Hakurk and Qandil regions.

Hürriyet Daily News, Turkish jets hit eight PKK targets in northern Iraq, April 2, 2018


 Afrin operation consistent with international law: Turkish Chief of General Staff

Arms and ammunitions used during the military operation in Syria’s Afrin province are consistent with international law, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar has said.

Hürriyet Daily News, Afrin operation consistent with international law: Turkish Chief of General Staff, April 2, 2018


Putin to attend Akkuyu nuclear plant ground-breaking ceremony

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for Turkey’s first nuclear plant on the Mediterranean coast at Akkuyu, while also chairing a High-Level Cooperation Council meeting on April 3.

Hürriyet Daily News, Putin to attend Akkuyu nuclear plant ground-breaking ceremony, April 2, 2018


Erdogan Calls Netanyahu ‘Terrorist’ as Insults Fly After Gaza Deaths

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu a “terrorist” on Sunday the 1st of April, escalating an exchange of insults that started after he criticised Israel’s lethal military response to a demonstration on the Gazan border.

New York Times, Erdogan Calls Netanyahu ‘Terrorist’ as Insults Fly After Gaza Deaths, April 1, 2018


Foreign Press Association in Italy gets its first Turkish chairwoman

Doğan News Agency’s Rome correspondent Esma Çakır has been appointed as the chairwoman of the Foreign Press Association (Associazione della Stampa Estera in Italian), which has been operating in the Italian capital since 1912.

Hürriyet Daily News, Foreign Press Association in Italy gets its first Turkish chairwoman, April 1, 2018


Turkish Leader Slams Kosovo’s PM Over Secret Deportations

Turkey’s president slammed Kosovo’s prime minister on March 31st for criticizing the secret deportations of six Turkish men who Turkey claims were supporters of an alleged coup plotter.

New York Times, Turkish Leader Slams Kosovo’s PM Over Secret Deportations, March 31, 2018


Erdoğan, Trump confirm united stance on increasing cooperation, coordination

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump, discussed bilateral and regional issues in a telephone call on March 30, according to the Turkish Presidency.

Hürriyet Daily News, Erdoğan, Trump confirm united stance on increasing cooperation, coordination, March 31, 2018


Turkey lashes out at France over support for YPG in Syria

Turkey has slammed its NATO ally France for voicing support to the Syrian Kurdish groups and offering to mediate between the Turkish government and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing Paris’ move as a “show of hostility against Turkey.”

Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey lashes out at France over support for YPG in Syria, March 30, 2018


Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders to meet April 16, first since peace talks collapse

Leaders of Cyprus’s two ethnically split communities have agreed to an informal meeting on April 16, the United Nations mission on the island said on Friday. The meeting between Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will be the first since U.N.-led peace talks collapsed in acrimony in Switzerland in July 2017.

Reuters, Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders to meet April 16, first since peace talks collapse, March 30, 2018


Turkey Says Will Take Action if Militants Do Not Leave Syria’s Manbij

Turkey will take action if militants do not withdraw immediately from Syria’s Manbij region and areas in the country east of the Euphrates, Turkey’s National Security Council said on Wednesday.

New York Times, Turkey Says Will Take Action if Militants Do Not Leave Syria’s Manbij, March 28, 2018


EU-Turkey summit: Erdogan hopes tough period in the past

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday voiced hope that a difficult period in relations between Turkey and the European Union is now in the past.

Washington Post, EU-Turkey summit: Erdogan hopes tough period in the past, March 26, 2018


Economy & Energy:

 

Turkey sees 3 million foreign arrivals in first two months of 2018: Ministry

More than 3 million foreigners visited Turkey in the first two months of 2018, with the tourism sector seeing a significant recovery in the number of arrivals from Europe, official data has shown.

Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey sees 3 million foreign arrivals in first two months of 2018: Ministry, March 30, 2018


Turkey’s foreign trade gap widened over 54 pct year-on-year in February

Turkey’s foreign trade deficit rose to $5.76 billion in the second month of the year with a 54.2 percent year-on-year increase, official data has shown. Data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK) showed that Turkey made $13.18 billion worth of exports in February by a 9 percent year-on-year increase.

Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey’s foreign trade gap widened over 54 pct year-on-year in February, March 30, 2018


Turkish economy grows 7.4 percent in 2017, exceeds forecast

The Turkish economy surged 7.4 percent last year, official data showed on March 29, marking its fastest expansion in four years with robust growth in industry, services and construction.

Hürriyet Daily News, Turkish economy grows 7.4 percent in 2017, exceeds forecast, March 29, 2018


Turkish gov’t announces new plans to boost investment, ease doing business

The government has announced new schemes that officials hope will boost investments and ease doing business in Turkey.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said the government approved an incentives scheme worth 128 billion Turkish Liras ($32.01 billion) for strategic investments.

Hürriyet Daily News, Turkish gov’t announces new plans to boost investment, ease doing business, March 28, 2018


Energy sector employers must recruit more women: GE Turkey head

What difference can women make in energy? That is the question the participants of the Bosphorus Energy Club’s annual meeting tried to answer this year.

But the search for answers has revealed that in order to make a difference women first need to be present in the sector, as energy is one of the most male-dominated sectors.

Hürriyet Daily News, Energy sector employers must recruit more women: GE Turkey head, March 28, 2018


Turkish Lira keeps sliding against dollar, euro

The Turkish Lira dropped past 4 per U.S. dollar for the second time in its history early on March 28, coming closer to record levels. The lira plunged to 4.0012 against the U.S. dollar, falling 0.45 percent in the early hours of the trading hours in Turkey, according to Doğan News Agency.

Hürriyet Daily News, Turkish Lira keeps sliding against dollar, euro, March 28, 2018


Domestic Politics:

 

Turkey seeks arrest of Fethullah Gülen over Russian Ambassador Karlov’s murder

A Turkish court has issued arrest warrants for Fethullah Gülen and seven other suspects for their alleged involvement in the killing of former Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on April 2.

Hürriyet Dailey News, Turkey seeks arrest of Fethullah Gülen over Russian Ambassador Karlov’s murder, April 2, 2018


Turkish court to try Albanian ‘drug kingpin’ caught in Turkey’s west

An Albanian man who was previously caught in Turkey, accused of smuggling over one ton of synthetic cannabis, was handed to the judiciary along with 10 other suspects on the morning of April 2, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Hürriyet Dailey News, Turkish court to try Albanian ‘drug kingpin’ caught in Turkey’s west, April 2, 2018


 Turkish court issues arrest warrant, red notice for journalist Can Dündar

An Istanbul court on April 2 issued an arrest warrant and a red notice for exiled former daily Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Can Dündar in a case involving the much-publicized National Intelligence Organization (MİT) trucks that allegedly carried weapons to Syria in 2014.

Hürriyet Dailey News, Turkish court issues arrest warrant, red notice for journalist Can Dündar, April 2, 2018


Nearly 900 undocumented migrants captured in Turkey

Security forces captured a total of 899 undocumented migrants in Turkey, according to a statement from the Turkish General Staff on April 1.

Hürriyet Dailey News, Nearly 900 undocumented migrants captured in Turkey, April 2, 2018


Turkish President Erdoğan recites Islamic prayer at the Hagia Sophia

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recited an Islamic prayer on March 31 in the Hagia Sophia, a historic Istanbul landmark that has become a symbol of interfaith and diplomatic tensions.

Hürriyet Dailey News, Turkish President Erdoğan recites Islamic prayer at the Hagia Sophia, April 1, 2018


İYİ Party holds first congress in Ankara

The İYİ (Good) Party, which is currently not on the list of the “parties to participate in elections” published by Turkey’s Higher Election Board (YSK), held its first extraordinary general congress on April 1 in order to fulfil a necessary condition for inclusion on the list.

Hürriyet Dailey News, İYİ Party holds first congress in Ankara, April 1, 2018


Erdoğan urges AKP officials ‘not to talk negatively about the economy’

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticized certain ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) members for “speaking negatively about the economic situation in Turkey.”

“It has saddened us to hear some of our friends among us being so wrong, giving statements indicating that the economic situation in Turkey is problematic and doing so in public meetings,” Erdoğan said at a meeting of party provincial heads in Ankara on March 30.

Hürriyet Dailey News, Erdoğan urges AKP officials ‘not to talk negatively about the economy’, March 30, 2018


Six Turkish village guards killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s Siirt

A total of six Turkish village guards were killed on March 30 in an outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) attack in the southeastern province of Siirt. Three village guards and four soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Security officials said the attack occurred in the area of a military base in Siirt’s Eruh district.

Hürrıyet Daily News, Six Turkish village guards killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s Siirt, March 30, 2018


Turkey: 17 People, Mainly Migrants, Killed in Road Accident

A road accident in eastern Turkey has killed 17 people, mostly migrants, who had crossed into the country illegally, a senior official said. Governor of Igdir province, Enver Unlu, said 36 people were also injured in the accident late on Thursday on a highway linking his province with neighboring Kars province.

New York Times, Turkey: 17 People, Mainly Migrants, Killed in Road Accident, March 30, 2018


Turkey orders 70 army officers detained over Gulen links: CNN Turk

Turkish prosecutors ordered the detention of 70 serving army officers over alleged links to the U.S.-based preacher accused of orchestrating an attempted coup in 2016, CNN Turk said on Thursday.

Reuters, Turkey orders 70 army officers detained over Gulen links: CNN Turk, March 29, 2018