NEWS SCAN for Turkey – Aug 13th, 2013

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

Ruling AKP deputy report says PM was misinformed about Gezi Park protests

Prime Minister Erdoğan was ‘misled’ about the Gezi Park protests, according to a report prepared by a research center chaired by a ruling party MP

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was misinformed during the Gezi Park protests and the redevelopment project was not handled in a democratic way, said a report prepared by the Eurasia Global Research Center (AGAM), chaired by İdris Bal, a Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy.

The report called “Taksim Incidents Analysis,” said a small-scale local issue turned into a big crisis and chaos since the prime minister was misguided and became the principal side of the dispute. Bal’s report defined the unrest’s beginning as a “strategic mistake.”

The Gezi Park protests started May 31 when the Metropolitan Municipality bulldozers attempted to demolish central Istanbul’s unique green area, Gezi Park. The Turkish police’s heavy-handed intervention caused the protests to spread to 79 of 81 provinces.

Turkish PM to travel abroad amid speculation over his health

Amid speculations over his health, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will pay a one-day working visit to Turkmenistan on Aug. 15 at the invitation of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

“Within the scope of the working visit, Erdoğan will go to the city of Turkmenbashi and will conduct examinations in the Avaza region on the Caspian coast,” Anadolu Agency reported early in the morning Aug. 13, citing sources from the Prime Ministry.

The agency did not further elaborate on the visit. The announcement through the semi-official news agency came only hours after Erdoğan’s office had denied Aug. 12 reports he had been hospitalized for a stomach condition in the past week, dismissing what it called “baseless allegations.”

Speculation about Erdoğan’s health has been rife since he had surgery to remove polyps from his intestines in late 2011.

Turkish government to debate reforms as Kurdish pressure mounts

Turkey’s government is expected to begin debating a package of long-awaited reforms next week aimed at bolstering Kurdish rights and boosting democracy, a step which could help keep a fragile peace process on track.

The cabinet will discuss the “democratization package” — whose proposals range from wider Kurdish-language education to changes to anti-terror laws — at its meeting next Monday, a senior justice ministry official told Reuters.

At stake is a bid to end a three-decade conflict with militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in which more than 40,000 people were killed. Abdullah Öcalan, the group’s jailed leader, declared a halt to hostilities in March after months of talks with the state. That ceasefire has largely held, with his fighters beginning to withdraw to bases in the northern Iraqi mountains in May, but the PKK has said clashes could resume if Ankara does not take concrete steps by the start of September.

Malaysians seek e-commerce in Turkey

Turkey’s rapidly growing online shopping sector has now aroused interest among Asians, following European and US companies.

Kuala Lumpur government has speeded up its efforts after Malaysian e-commerce giant MOL. The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) has called on the local companies to invest in Turkey, where e-commerce is expected to expand by 15.8 percent per annum. In its invitation, MATRADE pointed out that the Turkish online shopping sector will reach USD 6.6 billion in 2017.

Ergenekon case an excuse to try anti-government figures: CHP leader

The Ergenekon coup plot case became a holding pen for all those who were anti-government, main opposition leader Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said. “The people that the government wanted to settle accounts with but was unable to do so in the past were put into the Ergenekon case,” Kılıçdaroğlu told a collection of journalists late Aug. 12 during a wide-ranging interview on CNNTürk.

The government operates based on the mentality that the place for people who are against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is Silivri, he said, in reference to the Istanbul district where the Ergenekon case was heard.

On Aug. 5, more than 250 generals, journalists and others were sentenced to long prison sentences, including life times, for their role in a supposed ultranationalist plot to overthrow the AKP.

Turkey faces tests for Olympics and expo in fall

This fall will witness two major challenges for Turkey as Istanbul’s bid for the 2020 Olympic Games and İzmir’s bid for EXPO 2020 will be decided one after another, in September and in November, respectively.

Competing with Madrid and Tokyo for the right to land the world’s biggest multi-sports event, Istanbul’s biggest disadvantage is the fact that the Olympics have never been held in a Muslim country, but a string of doping scandals in the country that have embroiled athletics and wrestling stars since the beginning of the year might overshadow Istanbul’s advantages.

The moment of truth will be on September 7 when the winning bid is announced. The event will be closely watched by those lobbying for EXPO 2020; if Istanbul loses the bid, will it increase the chances of İzmir? In contrast, if Istanbul emerges victorious against its Spanish and Japanese opponents, will that negatively effect İzmir’s bid? Dubai poses the biggest threat to İzmir, which lost out on EXPO 2015 to Milan. İzmir’s other competitors this time are Sao Paolo and Yekaterinburg.

13.08.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA

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