News Scan for Turkey, April 24th 2017

Down below you will find a summary of topics from major Turkish papers and internet sites.

TAV to operate 2 more airports in Saudi Arabia with addition of Qassim, Hail

TAV Airports has added Qassim and Hail airports in Saudi Arabia to its portfolio following its current holdings of Madinah and Yanbu. TAV, with its partner Al Rajhi Holding Group, will develop the two airports and operate them for 30 years.

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has disclosed that they have selected TAV Airports, in partnership with Al Rajhi Holding Group, for operating Qassim and Hail International Airports for 30 years. Upon the closing of the selection process, the total number of airports operated by TAV worldwide will be 17 and the company will be operating four airports in Saudi Arabia.

TAV Airports President & CEO Sani Şener said, “With the addition of Qassim and Hail to our portfolio, the number of passengers in Saudi Arabia will increase to 10.5 million per annum; while the number of passengers at all airports abroad will reach 25 million.”

https://www.dailysabah.com/tourism/2017/04/24/tav-to-operate-2-more-airports-in-saudi-arabia-with-addition-of-qassim-hail

Borsa Istanbul 100 Index hits record high at 93,408 points

urkey’s benchmark index reached 93,408.39 points Monday afternoon — a new record high.

The previous record was 93,398.33 points on May, 22, 2013, prior to the Gezi Park riots.

The Borsa Istanbul (BIST) 100 index closed last week at 92,423.93 points, an increase of 2.62 percent in a week compared to the 90,063.69 points recorded on April 14.

Turkish stocks opened the week by rising 0.54 percent, and the banking and holding sector indices were up 0.27 percent and 0.72 percent respectively.

Considering Monday’s transactions, the benchmark index has advanced nearly 19.5 percent compared with the close of 2016.

According to the analysis, the tight monetary policy adopted by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT), along with other unorthodox measures and practices of the CBRT, enabled the BIST 100 index to continue its rallying trend, which began in the second week of January.

https://www.dailysabah.com/finance/2017/04/24/borsa-istanbul-100-index-hits-record-high-at-93408-points

May Day celebrations banned in Turkey’s Taksim Square again

After a recent contact of head of Turkey’s Confederation of Progressive Unions (DİSK), Kani Beko, with the Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, it has been reported that İstanbul’s Taksim Square will be closed to May Day celebrations again.

Symbolic of large scale public demonstrations and celebrations, including the May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day, İstanbul’s busy Taksim Square had been closed to May Day celebrations for decades after the Bloody May Day of 1977, which still remains as a case suppressed and partly covered.

Having been opened again in 2010, the Square was crowded by hundreds of thousands for the following few years on May Day and celebrations took place in joy, until it was again decided by government officials in 2013 – shortly before Gezi Park protests – for this famous Square adjacent to Gezi Park to be closed to May Day demonstrations.

http://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/may-day-celebrations-banned-in-turkey-s-taksim-square-again-156748.html

Moody’s: Narrow ‘yes’ vote leaves Turkey in continued uncertainty

In a statement released on April 18th (Tuesday) following the dubious referendum in Turkey, international credit rating corporation Moody’s drew attention to the ‘narrow yes vote in referendum on executive president’, defining it as an indication of continued political uncertainty in the country.

It was also noted in the comment that ‘the business world across the globe has been waiting for the delayed structural economic reforms to be put in force in Turkey’ in order for the country ‘to be able to become more resilient in the face of shocks’.

Turkey’s low foreign exchange reserve combined with its continued high dependence on foreign finances was also marked as a factor negatively affecting its credibility.

http://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/moody-s-narrow-yes-vote-leaves-turkey-in-continued-uncertainty-156697.html

Gov’t to seek consensus with opposition on adjustment laws

Turkey’s government will seek consensus with the opposition in drafting laws to introduce the newly approved constitutional amendments but will proceed on its own in the event that other parties do not contribute to the process, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has said.

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), however, has vowed to continue opposing the charter.

“We prefer to seek consensus with the opposition to the [greatest] possible extent in order to introduce the adjustment laws. But if there is a situation in which we cannot form a consensus, we will proceed on our road regardless,” Yıldırım told reporters late on April 23 in a reception for Sovereignty Day in parliament.

Assessing the tension over the controversial amendments that occurred in a special April 23 session in parliament, Yıldırım said the heated debates were normal.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/govt-to-seek-consensus-with-opposition-on-adjustment-laws.aspx?pageID=238&nID=112368&NewsCatID=338

Council of Europe body to vote on Turkey status April 25

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is scheduled to meet on April 25 to discuss whether to degrade Turkey’s status and reopen a monitoring process against the country, in what has been decried as a politically motivated move by Ankara.

The co-rapporteurs of the monitoring committee have recommended that the assembly “re-open the monitoring procedure in respect to Turkey until its concerns are addressed in a satisfactory manner.”

The initiative to degrade Turkey’s status is “openly a political operation” against Turkey, presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said April 24.

In spite of Turkey’s efforts at cooperation, the Turkish government sees that there are some political initiatives against the country “in some purposeful circles,” Kalın told a press conference.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/council-of-europe-body-to-vote-on-turkey-status-april-25.aspx?pageID=238&nID=112384&NewsCatID=351

24.04.2017
compiled by Editor BTT

This is a news-scan from major Turkish papers and internet sites. However, we do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.