News Scan for Turkey, August 22nd, 2017

Turkey still hopeful about ‘mutually beneficial’ Customs Union update with EU: PM Yıldırım

Turkey still believes that an update of the Customs Union deal with the EU, from which the economies of all sides have benefited over the years, can be achieved, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has said, amid a bitter ongoing row between Ankara and Germany.

“Turkey is the only candidate for the European Union membership within the Customs Union area. Thanks to this deal, our mutual trade volume has reached the $146 billion level. We aim to double this volume by updating our Customs Union deal with the EU. We believe this can be achieved,” Yıldırım said on Aug. 21 during a visit to Singapore.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had stated earlier that Berlin would not pursue an update of the Customs Union with Ankara. “We are not opening new chapters in Turkey’s [EU] accession bid and we have lowered membership preparation aid to a minimum. Also, for the time being, the Customs Union deal with Turkey will not be changed or updated,” Merkel said.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-still-hopeful-about-mutually-beneficial-customs-union-update-with-eu-pm-yildirim.aspx?pageID=238&nID=117001&NewsCatID=345

US dollar retreats to lowest level against Turkish lira in two months

The U.S. dollar fell to the lowest level of the last two months against Turkish lira, coming in at 3.4955 Monday. The parity rate began trading at a 3.52 level early in the day, and fell below the 3.50 level in the afternoon, near the end of trading hours.

The last time the rate fell below 3.50 level was on June 27. The dollar had reached a historic high against the lira on January 10 at 3.8950.

The political uncertainty regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic policies weighed globally on share prices and the dollar’s value.

https://www.dailysabah.com/finance/2017/08/21/us-dollar-retreats-to-lowest-level-against-turkish-lira-in-two-months

Experts expect Turkish lira to remain stable, strong for rest of year

Timothy Ash, senior strategist for emerging markets at London-based Bluebay Asset Management, said yesterday he expects the Turkish lira to remain stable and strong for the rest of the year.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Ash stated that there are global developments which might support the lira in the future, adding that there is also a very supportive environment in terms of risks. He also noted that the global economy is improving, and growth in the EU, the U.S., Japan and the emerging markets seems good. Ash also said global liquidity continues to flow because tightening in emerging markets has slowed in an environment of low inflation.

Stressing that the current global environment encourages investors to turn toward the lira, Ash said: “This might increase investors’ demand for fixed-income assets in countries with high interest rates. Turkey is currently offering around an 11 percent to 12 percent return in lira – which is attractive for foreign investors.”

https://www.dailysabah.com/economy/2017/08/22/experts-expect-turkish-lira-to-remain-stable-strong-for-rest-of-year

Head of Turkey’s student placement center resigns after miscalculation of exam scores

On Monday (August21), Head of the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) of Turkey, Ömer Demir, announced his decision to resign from his position after a mistake of the institution in calculation of the candidates’ scores of college placement exam.

Earlier in August, the institution had released an apology for the mistake that had caused 1499 candidates to lose eligibility for enrollment. 1628 applicants who had previously been announced to have not earned the right to be enrolled have obtained eligibility with the correction of the mistake.

Today, the head of the Center gave a statement explaining the reason for his resignation. “I have today submitted my desire to leave my duty in order to for ÖSYM to no longer be the subject of a dispute which came about as a result of an unintentional carelessness of the related staff”, Demir said.

http://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/head-of-turkey-s-student-placement-center-resigns-after-miscalculation-of-exam-scores-175817.html

Chair of CHP: ‘Judiciary in Turkey is used by the government as a tool to suppress people’

Chair of Turkey’s main opposition party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, has lately become the target of a systematic verbal attack of members of the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party), the President, and their supporters.

In his statements to journalists, Kılıçdaroğlu said: “With his statement, Erdoğan has actually made a major confession. His remarks mean that he is saying, ‘I am indeed giving orders to prosecutors and judges and they do whatever is necessary according to the orders they get from me’. Erdoğan’s accusation regarding Enis Berberoğlu justifies our assertions – which we have been expressing since the beginning – that ‘judiciary in Turkey is not independent and is used as a political stick to shape the society and the institutions’. The judicial institutions are being used as a tool to suppress the people and the opposition…

Erdoğan is the one who gives orders to the prosecutors directly. And, it is again Erdoğan that the prosecutors ask whether there are any other ‘requests’…”

http://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/chair-of-chp-judiciary-in-turkey-is-used-by-the-government-as-a-tool-to-suppress-people-175545.html

Turkish FM Çavuşoğlu to visit Iraq on Wednesday

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu will pay an official visit to Iraq’s capital Baghdad on Wednesday, the ministry said on Monday.

“Our honorable minister will pay a visit to Iraq on August 23, 2017, to discuss the issues on the agenda of Turkey-Iraq relations,” the ministry said in a statement. During his visit, Çavuşoğlu is scheduled to meet Iraq’s President Fuad Masum, Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi, Head of the Council of Representatives Salim al-Jabouri and Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Iraqi Turkmen politicians.

Following his visit in Baghdad, Çavuşoğlu will head to the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, to meet Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish Regional Government, it added

http://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/turkish-fm-cavusoglu-to-visit-iraq-on-wednesday-2783271

Gov’t, unions agree over salary rise for Turkish civil servants

The government and unions have come to an agreement over a salary rise offer for millions of civil servants and retired civil servants in Turkey, covering 2018 and 2019.

According to a statement by the Labor Ministry, both sides agreed on the 4 percent salary rise for the six months of 2018 and another 3.5 percent for the remaining six months of the year.

In 2019, civil servants will get 4 percent rise for the first six months of the year and 5 percent for the other six months, the statement said. It added that the signing ceremony between the two sides will be held on Aug. 22.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/govt-unions-agree-over-salary-rise-for-turkish-civil-servants.aspx?pageID=238&nID=117029&NewsCatID=345

22.08.2017
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.