News Scan for Turkey, July 16th 2017
Turkey’s main opposition leader slams intel agency for ‘not giving sufficient info’ on coup bid
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has slammed Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MİT) for “not giving sufficient information” regarding the July 15, 2016, failed coup attempt.
“I also said this in the parliament’s General Assembly on July 16, 2016; the coup attempt’s all aspects should be put on the table and the truth should be revealed,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in the special session in the parliament’s general assembly with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on July 15, as he added that it’s unacceptable for MİT chief Hakan Fidan and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar to not testify at the parliamentary commission formed to investigate the thwarted coup.
“The determination shown under this roof didn’t reflect on the coup commission’s works unfortunately. MİT chief and army chief, who have a grasp on all details of the coup attempt, couldn’t be made to give information to the representatives of national will. It’s unacceptable for these two valuable bureaucrats to hand a written response to the national will’s questions rather than coming to the commission. For what reason was this prevented?” he also said.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-main-opposition-leader-slams-intel-agency-for-not-giving-sufficient-info-on-coup-bid.aspx?pageID=238&nID=115545&NewsCatID=341
Erdoğan praises parliament for braving coup soldiers
President Recep Tayyip Erodğan praised parliament’s bravery during the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, while addressing thousands of people at a ceremony in front of the general assembly building.
“The coup soldiers disgraced themselves when bombing the parliament as our lawmakers stood higher,” Erdoğan said at the ceremony that begun at 2:23 a.m., the time that the parliament was bombed on July 16, 2016. “We will now work harder not to touch parliament again,” he said.
The parliament was the place where the coup pilots bombed most intensively, Erdoğan said praising the 106 lawmakers who reached the parliament building during the coup attempt and kept working despite attacks.
Erdoğan once again slammed main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for using the term “controlled coup.”
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogan-praises-parliament-for-braving-coup-soldiers-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=115550&NewsCatID=341
US hails Turkish people’s determination to stand up for democracy on July 15
he U.S. State Department hailed the bravery of Turkish people who took to the streets to protect their democracy from a brutal coup attempt by Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ)-linked soldiers July 15, 2016.
In a statement issued Friday, the State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert reiterated U.S. support for Turkey’s democracy, as she commended Turkish people for their determination. “One year ago, Turkey’s brave and dedicated citizens of all backgrounds and political views defended their democracy against an attempted coup” Nauert said.
The spokesperson added that the actions of those who took to the streets on July 15 remind everyone about the fact that the preservation of democracy requires “perseverance, tolerance, dissent and safeguards for fundamental freedoms,” adding that diversity is necessary in such challenging periods. “We offer our condolences to the friends and loved ones of those injured or killed during the coup attempt” the statement said.
https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2017/07/15/us-hails-turkish-peoples-determination-to-stand-up-for-democracy-on-july-15
Detained author in Turkey escapes from prison and tweets: ‘The bird has flown away’
Detained author in Turkey, Sevan Nişanyan, announced his escape from prison on Twitter. On Friday (July 14), indicating that he’s fled abroad, Nişanyan wrote: “The bird has flown away. Wishing the same for the rest of the 80 million (in Turkey)”.
Nişanyan had been jailed for insisting on constructing a house at a protected zone in Turkey’s Agean town of Şirince.
Talking to Ümran Avcı from HaberTürk, the fugitive author Nişanyan confirmed that he has indeed escaped from prison but refused to give information as to how and when.
Nişanyan had recently been tranferred from a closed prison to an open one, which had less strict rules, as he himself explained in an interview with the Agos newspaper previously.
http://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/detained-author-in-turkey-escapes-from-prison-and-tweets-the-bird-has-flown-away-169894.html
Turkey will take more active role in Mediterranean, energy minister says
urkey will not accept Greek Cypriots’ unilateral actions and will take a more active role in the Mediterranean, Energy Minister Berat Albayrak said Friday, as he criticized the Greek Cypriot administration for restarting drilling studies for natural gas.
“You cannot try to give orders and take action as you like in the region” Albayrak said, adding that it is not possible for Turkey to accept such provocation.
Albayrak noted that from now on, Turkey will play a more active role in the Mediterranean as it has finished searching in Gazimağusa (also known as Famagusta), and will now turn to Güzelyurt (also known as Morphou for exploration.
The Greek-Administered South Cyprus’s attempt at restarting its drilling studies for natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean has raised tensions in the region.
https://www.dailysabah.com/energy/2017/07/14/turkey-will-take-more-active-role-in-mediterranean-energy-minister-says
Turkey, France, Italy to cooperate on missile system
Turkey has signed an agreement with fellow NATO members France and Italy to develop its national missile defense systems, the Turkish Defense Minister said on July 14.
Speaking at a reception for Bastille Day at the French Embassy in Ankara, Defense Minister Fikri Işık said Turkish companies will work with the Italian-French consortium Eurosam. Işık described the move as one of the most concrete developments of Turkey’s alliance in the defense industry.
On July 4, Işık announced that Ankara and Moscow had agreed on the “technical issues” relating to the purchase of a Russian missile system.
“All technical issues, both by the Russian side and the Turkish side, are over,” he said in an interview with state-run broadcaster TRT Haber.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-france-italy-to-cooperate-on-missile-system–.aspx?pageID=238&nID=115569&NewsCatID=345
16.07.2017
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.
