THIS WEEK:
FOREIGN POLICY
- Main opposition leader vows to satisfy Turkey’s ‘democracy needs’ during US trip
- The Threat to Turkish Freedom
- Turkey, Iran call for Syria ceasefire before peace talks
DOMESTIC POLITICS
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- Turkey’s dominant political coalition shows signs of fraying
ECONOMY/ENERGY
- Turkey expects boon to trade with Iran from nuclear deal easing sanctions
- Turkey stands by Kurdish oil deal, seeks to appease Baghdad
Foreign Policy
Main opposition leader vows to satisfy Turkey’s ‘democracy needs’ during US trip
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has presented his party’s approach to a number of policy issues at a think tank meeting during his visit to the U.S., vowing to satisfy Turkey’s “needs for democracy.”
Speaking at the Washington-based Brookings Institution on Dec. 2, Kılıçdaroğlu said only his party could truly fulfill the ideas of full democracy, which the Turkish people deserve. TÜSİAD Senior Fellow Kemal Kirişci moderated the discussion.
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Hurriyet Daily News, 2 December 2013, Main opposition leader vows to satisfy Turkey’s ‘democracy needs’ during US trip
The Threat to Turkish Freedom
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu wrote, “Our country is quickly drifting away from a functioning democratic regime toward a manifestly authoritarian and intrusive one built around the whims of a single individual in power.”
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Wall Street Journal, 25 November 2013, The Threat to Turkish Freedom
Turkey, Iran call for Syria ceasefire before peace talks
The foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran called for a ceasefire in Syria before peace talks in Geneva scheduled for January 22, Iranian media reported.
“All our efforts are to end the conflict and for a ceasefire if possible, even before the Geneva 2 conference takes place,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a news conference in Tehran with his Turkish counterpart Ahmad Davutoglu.
Chicago Tribune, 27 November 2013, Turkey, Iran call for Syria ceasefire before peace talks
Domestic Politics
Turkey’s dominant political coalition shows signs of fraying
Intensifying rivalries between Turkey’s prime minister and segments of his Islamist-rooted ruling party are threatening to fray the largely conservative coalition that has dominated the nation’s politics for more than a decade, just as it prepares for elections next year.
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Wall Street Journal, 28 November 2013, Turkey’s dominant political coalition shows signs of fraying
Economy/Energy
Turkey expects boon to trade with Iran from nuclear deal easing sanctions
Turkish hotels and travel agents reported a sharp jump in bookings from Iranian tourists this week while traders in Istanbul’s famed bazaar said more Iranian businessmen have been buying Turkish goods in bulk to sell back home.
The pickup in activity immediately after Iran won relief from international sanctions in a nuclear agreement over the weekend signaled that Turkey’s slowing economy may be among the first to reap economic benefits from the deal.
Gold trade between Turkey and Iran will resume, albeit at lower levels than last year, once sanctions on Iran are eased, Iran’s ambassador to Turkey said.
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Wall Street Journal, 28 November 2013, Turkey expects boon to trade with Iran from nuclear deal easing sanctions
Reuters, 29 November 2013, Iran says gold trade with Turkey to resume
Turkey stands by Kurdish oil deal, seeks to appease Baghdad
Turkey said it stood by a bilateral oil deal with Iraq’s Kurdistan region that bypassed central government but sought to appease Baghdad by drawing it into the arrangement.
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Reuters, 2 December 2013, Turkey stands by Kurdish oil deal, seeks to appease Baghdad
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