News Scan for Turkey, July 15th 2016

U.S. Compromises Won Turkey’s Backing for Kurdish-Led Offensive

Turkey agreed to back a pivotal offensive in Syria led by its Kurdish adversaries after intense U.S. lobbying that culminated in a secret May meeting, according to U.S. officials, an agreement that could lead to wider cooperation in the fight against Islamic State militants.

The U.S. won Turkish backing for the assault on the Syrian city of Manbij with a series of political and tactical compromises to rein in the Kurds, Turkish, U.S. and British officials said. That included having U.S. special-operations forces and local Arabs play an important role in the fight and arranging for a mostly Arab council to rule the city if it was retaken, U.S. officials said.

The breakthrough came after talks between President Barack Obama and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and culminated in the previously unreported May meeting at Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base with U.S. and Turkish officials and representatives of the force seeking to liberate Manbij, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-compromises-won-turkeys-backing-for-kurdish-led-offensive-1468539313

Turkish authorities tighten security across Istanbul: media

Turkish authorities have stepped up security across Istanbul, CNN Turk and other local media reported on Thursday, a day after France said it was closing its diplomatic missions in both Istanbul and the capital Ankara over security fears.

Turkey is on high alert after a series of deadly bomb attacks this year, some claimed by Kurdish militants and others blamed on Islamic State. A triple suicide bombing at Istanbul’s main airport last month killed 45 people.

Police were individually checking all passengers before allowing them to ride the Marmaray railway that runs under the Bosphorus strait connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, CNN Turk and the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-idUSKCN0ZU1TT

Blue Flag heralds new beach for Lake Van

Turkey’s largest lake, located in the eastern province of Van, has finally won a Blue Flag, an international standard for cleanliness and safety, heralding that the city’s first beach was on the way in a move to attract more tourists.

“Our application from last year finally came to a conclusion. We now have a coast with a Blue Flag at our Lake Van,” Fevzi Özgökçe, the mayor of Van’s Tuşba district, who carried out the application process with the Turkish Foundation for Environmental Education (TÜRÇEV), told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, adding the achievement was the result of a year-long effort.

A Blue Flag was granted to the Ayanis coast of Lake Van, some 35 kilometers from the city center, after meeting the criteria of the eco-label awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) including water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management and safety.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/blue-flag-heralds-new-beach-for-lake-van.aspx?pageID=238&nID=101636&NewsCatID=349

TOBB business group tells Turkish PM it will visit Egypt amid signs of thaw

A delegation of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) will visit Egypt, the business group’s head has told Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, amid rumors of a diplomatic thaw between Ankara and Cairo.

TOBB head Rifat Hısarcıklıoğlu and members of the group’s board visited Yıldırım to congratulate the new premier on his post, during which it said it would soon visit Egypt, with which Turkey currently has strained ties.

Relations between Ankara and Cairo ruptured in 2013 after the military, led by then defense minister and now president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, ousted the elected President Mohamed Morsi, a move heavily by criticized by Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). “We have already been to Egypt. God willing we will soon go back as the TOMM administration. The date has not yet been set,” said Hisarcıklıoğlu after meeting with Yıldırım.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tobb-business-group-tells-turkish-pm-it-will-visit-egypt-amid-signs-of-thaw.aspx?pageID=238&nID=101635&NewsCatID=345

Turkey’s unemployment rate at all time low in 2 years

The unemployment rate in Turkey dropped to 9.3 percent in April from 9.6 percent year-on-year and also fell month-on-month from 10.1 percent in March of this year, reaching its lowest point since June 2014, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced Friday.

In a month-on-month comparison, the non-agricultural unemployment rate was 11 percent with a 0.6 percentage point decrease. While the youth unemployment rate, including people aged between 15 and 24, was 16 percent with a 1 percentage point decrease, the unemployment rate for people aged between 15 and 64 was 9.5 percent with a 0.3 percentage point decrease.

Employment was 47.2 percent with a 1 percentage point increase.

http://www.dailysabah.com/economy/2016/07/15/turkeys-unemployment-rate-at-all-time-low-in-2-years