Turkey Letter: 30 November 2015

Foreign Policy

  • Obama, Turkey’s Erdogan Confer on Downing of Russian Warplane
  • Putin, Obama hold talks on Turkey jet dispute, Syria
  • At NATO, Turkey remains defiant over Russian jet
  • Erdogan says will step down if Russian oil claims proved
  • U. Offers Turkey 3 Billion Euros to Stem Migrant Flow
  • S. Urges Turkey to Seal Border
  • Tsipras Pokes at Turkey on Twitter Over Russian Jet Downing

Economy and Energy

  • Putin Orders Sanctions Against Turkey After Downing of Jet
  • Lira Honeymoon Cut Short as Downed Jet Underlines Turkey’s Risks
  • Şimşek to become Turkey’s new economy tsar, as Erdoğan’s allies take key posts in administration
  • Turkey favours market-friendly reforms, executive presidency –PM
  • Turkey’s foreign trade deficit drops 42.5 percent in October: Agency

Domestic Politics

  • Top Turkish business group ‘happy’ with new cabinet program
  • Prominent Kurdish Lawyer Is Killed in Southeast Turkey
  • Thousands Protest Arrest of 2 Turkish Journalists on Spying Charges
  • Turkish PM Davutoğlu forms 64th government of Turkey

Foreign Policy

Obama, Turkey’s Erdogan Confer on Downing of Russian Warplane

Hours after the Turkish shootdown of a Russian warplane along the Syria-Turkey border, U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on the need to de-escalate tensions and prevent further incidents.

Voice of America, Obama, Turkey’s Erdogan Confer on Downing of Russian Warplane, November 24, 2015


Putin, Obama hold talks on Turkey jet dispute, Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama held talks for around 30 minutes on the sidelines of a summit in Paris on Monday at which the two leaders discussed the Syria and Ukraine crises, a Kremlin spokesman said.

Reuters, Putin, Obama hold talks on Turkey jet dispute, Syria, November 30, 2015


At NATO, Turkey remains defiant over Russian jet

Turkey’s prime minister dismissed on Monday any suggestion Ankara should apologize for downing a Russian warplane in its airspace last week, after winning strong NATO support for the right to defend itself.

Reuters, At NATO, Turkey remains defiant over Russian jet, November 30, 2015


Erdogan says will step down if Russian oil claims proved

Turkey’s president has said he will step down if Russian claims that Turkey buys oil from Daesh are proved and has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to do the same if they are not.

Anadolu Agency, Erdogan says will step down if Russian oil claims proved, November 30, 2015


E.U. Offers Turkey 3 Billion Euros to Stem Migrant Flow

Under heavy pressure from Germany to get a grip on the migrant crisis in the Continent after months of dithering, the European Union agreed to a deal on Sunday with Turkey that aims to slow the chaotic flood of asylum seekers into the 28-nation bloc.

New York Times, E.U. Offers Turkey 3 Billion Euros to Stem Migrant Flow, November 30, 2015


U.S. Urges Turkey to Seal Border

The Obama administration is pressing Turkey to deploy thousands of additional troops along its border with Syria to cordon off a 60-mile stretch of frontier that U.S. officials say is used by Islamic State to move foreign fighters in and out of the war zone.

Wall Street Journal, U.S. Urges Turkey to Seal Border, November 27, 2015


Tsipras Pokes at Turkey on Twitter Over Russian Jet Downing

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sparred over the downing of a Russian jet with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, in a Twitter exchange that underscored the challenge of European Union moves to relaunch talks aimed at Turkey’s EU accession.

Bloomberg, Tsipras Pokes at Turkey on Twitter Over Russian Jet Downing, November 20, 2015


Economy and Energy

Putin Orders Sanctions Against Turkey After Downing of Jet

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called for sanctions against Turkey, following the downing this week by Turkey of a Russian warplane.

Associated Press, Putin Orders Sanctions Against Turkey After Downing of Jet, November 28, 2015


Lira Honeymoon Cut Short as Downed Jet Underlines Turkey’s Risks

Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet is reminding investors of all the reasons they dislike the lira.

The incident near the Syrian border last week ended an election-fueled rally and restored the lira’s status as the year’s worst-performing currency outside Latin America. Russia imposed trading curbs on its neighbor, unnerving investors already on edge about Turkey’s vulnerability to higher U.S. interest rates and capital outflows.

Bloomberg, Lira Honeymoon Cut Short as Downed Jet Underlines Turkey’s Risks, November 29, 2015


Şimşek to become Turkey’s new economy tsar, as Erdoğan’s allies take key posts in administration

Former Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek will be in charge of the economy in a new cabinet named by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Nov. 24, becoming deputy prime minister in a team which saw close allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan take key ministerial posts.

Hurriyet Daily News, Şimşek to become Turkey’s new economy tsar, as Erdoğan’s allies take key posts in administration, November 24, 2015


Turkey favours market-friendly reforms, executive presidency –PM

Turkey’s new government will aim to bring inflation down to single digits and maintain central bank independence, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday, laying out a market-friendly programme designed to woo back investors.

Reuters, Turkey favours market-friendly reforms, executive presidency –PM, November 25, 2015


Turkey’s foreign trade deficit drops 42.5 percent in October: Agency

Turkey’s foreign trade deficit declined by 42.5 percent year-on-year in October due to a continuing decline in the country’s imports, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) stated on Nov. 30.

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey’s foreign trade deficit drops 42.5 percent in October: Agency, November 30, 2015


Domestic Politics

Top Turkish business group ‘happy’ with new cabinet program

The head of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) has said its members are pleased to see their own targets included in the new cabinet’s governing program, also emphasizing the importance of maintaining of democratic standards in the country.

Hurriyet Daily News, Top Turkish business group ‘happy’ with new cabinet program, November 27, 2015


Prominent Kurdish Lawyer Is Killed in Southeast Turkey

A prominent Kurdish lawyer and a Turkish police officer were killed on Saturday when clashes erupted after he spoke at a news conference in Turkey’s volatile southeast.

New York Times, Prominent Kurdish Lawyer Is Killed in Southeast Turkey, November 28, 2015


Thousands Protest Arrest of 2 Turkish Journalists on Spying Charges

Thousands gathered across Istanbul on Friday to protest the arrest of two prominent journalists on charges of espionage over a report alleging that the country’s intelligence services had sent arms shipments to Islamist rebels in Syria.

New York Times, Thousands Protest Arrest of 2 Turkish Journalists on Spying Charges, November 27, 2015


Turkish PM Davutoğlu forms 64th government of Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has approved a cabinet list drafted by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, one week after commissioning the premier to form a new cabinet in the wake of the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) victory in the Nov. 1 elections.

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkish PM Davutoğlu forms 64th government of Turkey, November 30, 2015

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