NEWS SCAN for Turkey – April 6th, 2013

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

Secretary of State John Kerry to focus on restoring Turkish-Israel relations

On his second visit to Turkey in two months this weekend, John Kerry is expected to spend efforts to restore relations between Turkey and Israel. On his agenda Kerry is said to have the role Turkey can contribute to peace in Middle East as Turkey is known to have strong influence on Hamas.

Is Turkey’s economic growth dependent on foreign resources?

Although Turkey has been receiving much appraisal for its bright performance in economy, many experts say the economic growth of Turkey conceals fragilities because it is heavily dependent on foreign resources. Experts also believe the volatility of markets is mainly due to this reason and is ignored because foreign funds keep coming.

Survey shows AKP’s votes decrease as opposition rises

A recent survey has claimed the support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has decreased by 5 percent since the 2011 elections. The survey was conducted by polling company SONAR across 26 Turkish provinces with 3,000 respondents and showwed that the AKP’s voter support had decreased from 49.8 percent in June 2011 to 45.06 percent in April 2013, while the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) maintained its position with 26 percent. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has gained 4.2 percent in polls since the elections, climbing from 13.0 percent to 17.27 percent.

PM Erdoğan draws attention to US$300 billion spent for terrorism

Erdoğan who attended the opening ceremony for the Istanbul Bourse addressed participants. The Prime Minister referred to the economic benefits of ending the Kurdish issue, and emphasized that violence had cost the country $300 billion in 30 years.

Opposition criticizes “Wise Persons” move

Main opposition leader Kılıçdaroğlu has said the Wise Persons panel formed by the government to contribute to the ongoing peace process on the Kurdish issue is a mere public relations attempt. CHP leader  added “It is not a civil initiative at all. A task has been granted to people carefully chosen by the prime minister himself. I don’t believe that 63 people can find a common road map and method. I think that there is a mentality of making them say what the government can’t say.”

Turkey’s exports go up to USD 1.1 billion in first quarter 2013

Turkey’s mining sector’s exports increased 40.23 percent in the first quarter of 2013 as compared to the first quarter of 2012. Istanbul Mining Exporters’ Association stated on Saturday that exports had reached 1.1 billion USD in January-March period of 2013,  The report said Turkey had exported mining products most to China, US, Belgium, Iraq and Italy. On the other hand the sector’s export to China increased 101.5 percent to 604.6 million USD in the first three months of 2013 when compared to the same period of 2012.

06.04.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA

We do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.