Turkey Letter: 17 July 2017

Foreign Policy

  • Turkey sent some 200 cargo planes to Qatar since dispute began: minister
  • Turkey sends ships and submarine to monitor drilling vessel near Cyprus
  • Germany: Turkey blocks lawmakers’ visit to NATO airbase
  • Defiant Erdogan attacks EU, backs restoring death penalty
  • NATO urges Turkey, Germany to settle air base row
  • Turkey Adds Troops in Qatar in Defiance of Saudi-Led Isolation

Economy and Energy

  • Yamal project to scale up Russian gas exports by 10 pct: Russian official
  • Iran wants Turkish companies for energy projects
  • Turkish energy minister ‘to visit Israel for pipeline deal’
  • GE starts wind blade production in new Turkish factory
  • Turkey’s current account deficit widens in May
  • Turkey’s unconventional energy potential is great: Valeura CEO
  • Turkey runs nearly $7 bln budget deficit in first half of 2017: Minister
  • Turkish unemployment rate falls to 10.5 pct in April

Domestic Policy

  • TÜSİAD: TOWARDS A MODERN TURKEY ON JULY 15 DEMOCRACY AND NATIONAL UNITY DAY
  • Mysteries, and a Crackdown, Persist a Year After a Failed Coup in Turkey
  • Turkey dismisses thousands more police, civil servants and academics
  • Turkey extends state of emergency by further three months
  • Kılıçdaroğlu says CHP ready for more street protests
  • Millions mark first anniversary of failed coup attempt in Turkey

Foreign Policy

Turkey sent some 200 cargo planes to Qatar since dispute began: minister
Turkey has sent 197 cargo planes, 16 trucks and one ship to Qatar to meet its daily needs since a dispute broke out last month between Qatar and other Gulf states, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Wednesday.

Reuters, Turkey sent some 200 cargo planes to Qatar since dispute began: minister, July 12, 2017


Turkey sends ships and submarine to monitor drilling vessel near Cyprus

Turkey has sent two ships and a submarine to monitor a drilling vessel in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the military said on Thursday, in a move likely to increase tension with Cyprus after reunification talks failed last week.

Reuters, Turkey sends ships and submarine to monitor drilling vessel near Cyprus, July 13, 2017


Germany: Turkey blocks lawmakers’ visit to NATO airbase

A German lawmaker says Turkey is blocking a planned visit next week by parliamentarians to German soldiers stationed at a NATO airbase.

Washington Post, Germany: Turkey blocks lawmakers’ visit to NATO airbase, July 14, 2017


 Defiant Erdogan attacks EU, backs restoring death penalty

President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday defiantly stepped up his attacks on the European Union, saying Turkey had to go its own way and vowing to bring back the death penalty if parliament passed it.

Reuters, Defiant Erdogan attacks EU, backs restoring death penalty, July 16, 2017


NATO urges Turkey, Germany to settle air base row

NATO’s Secretary General has urged the Turkish and German foreign ministers to resolve their differences over visits to Turkish air bases, part of a wider row between the two allies.

Reuters, NATO urges Turkey, Germany to settle air base row, July 16, 2017


Turkey Adds Troops in Qatar in Defiance of Saudi-Led Isolation

Turkey is building up its military presence in Qatar, an adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, in defiance of a Saudi-led bloc’s demand that the Turkish military pull out of the emirate.
Bloomberg, Turkey Adds Troops in Qatar in Defiance of Saudi-Led Isolation, July 17, 2017


Economy and Energy

Yamal project to scale up Russian gas exports by 10 pct: Russian official

Novatek’s Yamal liquefied natural gas (LNG) project will increase Russia’s global natural gas exports by around 10 percent, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anton Inyutsyn said on July 12.

Hurriyet, Yamal project to scale up Russian gas exports by 10 pct: Russian official, July 12, 2017


Iran wants Turkish companies for energy projects

Iran is seeking to extend engagement with Turkish companies especially in upstream and downstream projects, a top Iranian energy official said on July 12.

Hurriyet, Iran wants Turkish companies for energy projects, July 12, 2017


Turkish energy minister ‘to visit Israel for pipeline deal’

Energy Minister Berat Albayrak is set to visit Israel by the end of this year to conclude an agreement for the building of a natural gas pipeline from the Jewish state to Turkey, the Israeli energy minister said on July 12.

Hurriyet, Turkish energy minister ‘to visit Israel for pipeline deal’, July 12, 2017


GE starts wind blade production in new Turkish factory

LM Wind Power, a subsidiary of GE Renewable Energy, announced the start of production at its wind turbine blade factory in Turkey on July 13.

Hurriyet, GE starts wind blade production in new Turkish factory, July 13, 2017


Turkey’s unconventional energy potential is great: Valeura CEO

There is a great opportunity for unconventional energy reserves in Turkey’s southeast and northwest, Jim McFarland, president and CEO of Canada’s Valeura Energy, stated at the 22nd World Energy Congress in Istanbul on July 12.

Hurriyet, Turkey’s unconventional energy potential is great: Valeura CEO, July 13, 2017


Turkey runs nearly $7 bln budget deficit in first half of 2017: Minister

Turkey ran a budget deficit of 25.2 billion Turkish Liras (about $6.9 billion) this January to June with fiscal measures to stimulate the economy costing nearly 12 billion liras ($3.3 billion), Finance Minister Naci Ağbal said on July 17.

Hurriyet, Turkey runs nearly $7 bln budget deficit in first half of 2017: Minister, July 17, 2017


Turkish unemployment rate falls to 10.5 pct in April

Turkey’s unemployment rate declined to 10.5 percent in the April period, which covered data from March to May, falling further from a seven-year high at the start of the year but up from 9.5 percent a year earlier, official data showed on July 17.

Hurriyet, Turkish unemployment rate falls to 10.5 pct in April, July 17, 2017


Domestic Policy

TÜSİAD: TOWARDS A MODERN TURKEY ON JULY 15 DEMOCRACY AND NATIONAL UNITY DAY

One year ago the Turkish Republic experienced a coup attempt on the night of July 15. As we expressed in a statement which was published in the international media immediately after the attempted coup: “Interventions against democracy can only be prevented by further raising democratic standards and strengthening the rule of law.” Security and freedom are not mutually exclusive, on the contrary, they are fundamental priorities that complement one another.
TUSIAD, TÜSİAD: TOWARDS A MODERN TURKEY ON JULY 15 DEMOCRACY AND NATIONAL UNITY DAY July 17, 2017


Mysteries, and a Crackdown, Persist a Year After a Failed Coup in Turkey 
Turkey’s failed coup, which unraveled a year ago on Saturday, has had a profound impact on contemporary Turkish life. Far from ending the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it tightened his grip on the country, giving him the political room to impose a state of emergency that is still in effect; fire or suspend about 150,000 dissidents and accused coup plotters; and arrest roughly 50,000 people. But while the fallout from the coup is clear, there are still questions about what happened during the coup.
The New York Times, Mysteries, and a Crackdown, Persist a Year After a Failed Coup in Turkey, July 13, 2017


Turkey dismisses thousands more police, civil servants and academics

Turkey dismissed more than 7,000 police, civil servants and academics on Friday, the eve of the anniversary of last year’s attempted coup.

Reuters, Turkey dismisses thousands more police, civil servants and academics, July 14, 2017



Turkey extends state of emergency by further three months
The Turkish parliament extended the ongoing state of emergency on July 17 by three more months starting from July 19, its fourth such extension after a coup attempt last July.
Hurriyet, Turkey extends state of emergency by further three months, July 17, 2017


Kılıçdaroğlu says CHP ready for more street protests
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) is prepared to carry out more street protests following the 25-day justice march, said its chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on July 17. Kılıçdaroğlu also rejected President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calling his walk from Ankara to Istanbul a “terrorist march.”
Hurriyet, Kılıçdaroğlu says CHP ready for more street protests, July 17, 2017


Millions mark first anniversary of failed coup attempt in Turkey
Millions of people took the streets across Turkey on July 15 and early July 16 to mark the anniversary of last year’s failed coup attempt, blamed on the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), commemorating the 250 people killed and more than 2,000 others injured by the coup soldiers.
Hurriyet, Millions mark first anniversary of failed coup attempt in Turkey, July, 17, 2017