TUSIAD Turkey Letter: 16 September 2013

This Week

FOREIGN POLICY

  • Turkish deputy PM Bulent Arinc says Syrian helicopter shot down over Turkey
  • Turkey cautiously welcomes US-Russian deal on Syria
  • Gül: UN Security Council should hear Turkey on Syria resolution

ECONOMY & ENERGY

  • Turkey’s jobless rate rises slightly in June
  • Turkish business dynasties accused of backing ‘post-modern coup’

DOMESTIC POLITICS

  • Lazuri classes to begin in secondary schools in Turkey

FOREIGN POLICY

Turkish deputy PM Bulent Arinc says Syrian helicopter shot down over Turkey

The Turkish Air Force shot down a Syrian helicopter on 16 September at the border after the helicopter violated Turkish airspace, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said.

Turkish military aircraft taking off from a base in Malatya shot the M-17 helicopter after it allegedly continued to violate Turkish airspace despite repeated warnings, after which the chopper fell onto Syrian soil, Arınç said.
~~~
Hurriyet Daily News, 16 September 20103, Turkey shot down Syrian helicopter at border, Deputy PM says

Turkey cautiously welcomes US-Russian deal on Syria

Turkey has voiced a skeptical optimism after the United States and Russia agreed on a plan to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons by the middle of 2014.

“Turkey welcomes, as a matter of principle, the dismantling of all weapons of mass destruction in the world and in our region, the chemical weapons in particular. Therefore, the agreement reached today in Geneva between the United States and the Russian Federation regarding the chemical weapons possessed by the Syrian regime was welcomed as a positive step and assessed carefully,” a written statement from the Foreign Ministry said Sept. 14.
~~~
Hurriyet Daily News, 15 September 2013, Turkey cautiously welcomes US-Russian deal on Syria

Gül: UN Security Council should hear Turkey on Syria resolution

The UN Security Council, which is expected to discuss soon a resolution committing Syria to remove its chemical weapons, should listen to Turkey very carefully, President Abdullah Gül said on Monday.

Speaking as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was meeting with his US, French and British counterparts in Paris, Gül said: “We are not a part of the UN Security Council, we are not one of the permanent members. But since we, a country neighboring Syria, are affected the most by what happens in Syria, the UN Security Council should listen to us in a very serious manner.”
~~~
Today’s Zaman, 16 September 2013, Gül: UN Security Council should hear Turkey on Syria resolution

ECONOMY & ENERGY

Turkey’s jobless rate rises slightly in June

Turkey’s unemployment rate rose by 0.8 percent in June from the previous month a year earlier, according to the newest figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).The jobless rate in June increased to 8.8 percent, equaling 2.5 million people, according to official data.
~~~
Hurriyet Daily News, 16 September 2013, Turkey’s jobless rate rises slightly in June

Turkish business dynasties accused of backing ‘post-modern coup’

A lawyer accused two of Turkey’s corporate dynasties on Friday of backing the 1997 military overthrow of its first Islamist-led government, sending their shares tumbling on fears of a deepening vendetta against the country’s secular business elite.
~~~
Reuters, 13 September 2013, Turkish business dynasties accused of backing ‘post-modern coup’

DOMESTIC POLITICS

Lazuri classes to begin in secondary schools in Turkey

The Education Ministry has decided that the Laz language, spoken particularly in the Black Sea region, is to become an elective course in secondary schools as of the 2013 and 2014 education year.
~~~
Hurriyet Daily News, 14 September 2013, Lazuri classes to begin in secondary schools in Turkey

These news items are compiled by TUSIAD Washington Representative Office (TUSIAD-US) from major news publications. They do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of TUSIAD. To subscribe or unsubscribe from this electronic publication, please send an e-mail to usoffice@tusiad.org. These materials may be reproduced and/or distributed, in whole or in part, provided that its source is properly indicated as “TUSIAD-US Web site: www.tusiad.us

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