NEWS SCAN for Turkey – July 17th, 2013
Down below you will find a summary of topics from major Turkish papers and internet sites.
Urbanization Minister says Turkey will produce pollution-free shale gas
Bayraktar who made a speech regarding producing shale gas in the Informal European Union Council of Environment Ministers meeting in the Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius on Wednesday said his ministry was cooperating with the Ministry of Energy over a work on producing shale gas without polluting the environment.
Indicating that Turkey had been preparing to produce shale gas as an alternative energy, the minister said, they worked on certain criteria in accordance with producing shale gas without polluting environment.
Bayraktar also reminded that Turkey was an energy dependent country and said there were shale gas reserves in the Southeastern Anatolia region and Thrace region, adding there was more potential of shale gas reserves in other parts of Turkey.
Japanese company Hitachi enters the Turkish logistics market via partnership
It is reported that Hitachi Transport System, the transportation and logistics unit of the century-old Japanese conglomerate, has entered the Turkish market through a stake acquisition from Mars Lojistik, one of the leading local logistics companies.
Based on a statement by the Japanese company, parties are reported to have agreed on the sale of 51 percent shares to Hitachi without disclosing the financial details of the deal. The deal is scheduled to be completed by October and will open the door to a logistics market of about USD 50 billion for Hitachi which is currently in the process of expanding its global business.
Mars Lojistik, which is well-established with a 1000-truck fleet, will help the Japanese company reach new markets in the Middle East and North Africa.
Public supports possible recognition of “CEMEVI”s as Alevi places of worship
Survey results obtained by a poll company in Ankara, reveal that the majority of the public approves of the possible recognition of “CEMEVI”s as Alevi places of worship, but is more receptive to the idea of providing an education in their mother tongue for the Kurdish population.
Based on the survey conducted by the company to determine the Turkish public’s attitudes on some domestic and international issues that have topped the nation’s agenda over the last few months, the administration is now well informed that Alevis’ CEMEVIs should be recognized by the state as places of worship. . In response to a question about whether cemevis should be recognized as Alevi houses of worship in the survey, 68.1 percent of respondents have responded positively.
According to experts Ankara should be alarmed by PYD’s declaration
Experts say Turkey should be alarmed by a declaration from the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a political offshoot of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Syria that announced it would declare its autonomy in Syria’s northern region. Opinion leaders maintain that this development at Turkey’s southern border would pose a giant security problem.
The PYD has been fighting against opposition fighters in northern Syria for months in an effort to gain an advantage and declare autonomy in a nation rocked by a war between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime forces and opposition groups.
Turkey set to become ‘global hub’ for rail manufacturing
It is reported that Turkey is best positioned to become the home of international rail manufacturing as Africa, Latin America and the Middle East look to double the size of their networks by 2022, a new report has found.
According to research by Frost & Sullivan, Africa will experience the most intense growth in the rail supply market over the next few years as key regions enter a period of relative political stability.
However, Turkey has been tipped as possibly the biggest winner, with its location likely to be highly sought after for delivering projects in North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The report also found that although global mainline freight and passenger levels had returned to normal following the economic downturn, rail investment in Europe remained ‘constrained due to the ongoing debt environment’. Investing heavily in its own railway infrastructure, Turkey will increase the length of the nationwide rail network to 26,000 kilometers, nearly double that of today’s 12,000 km. The Turkish parliament passed a law that ended the state monopoly on the country’s railways last April, giving the private companies the right to build and operate rail lines to carry freight and passengers.
Taiwan chooses Turkey as strategic investment partner
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has chosen Turkey as a strategic investment partner for critical long-term investments because the nation’s future is more promising than that of European countries, Patty Yen, TAITRA’s Turkey director, said Saturday.
According to Yen, a Taiwan-Turkey Trade Fair to be attended by approximately 30 leading Taiwanese companies will be held in September. “During their visit, the companies will assess investment and trade opportunities with Turkey,” she said, adding that though Taiwanese companies have focused on China for the past decade, they are looking to expand into new markets — and that Turkey is on the top of their list. “So far, the largest firm that has invested in Turkey is Asus, as the company does part of its production here and provides employment to 150 workers.”
TECO Electric and Machinery — a Taiwanese conglomerate involved in electric motors and appliances as well as other sectors worldwide — was the first to act upon mutual calls in both countries for strategic partnerships and signed a business agreement with Turkish company Dalgakiran, a manufacturer of compressors. Yen said that while mutual investments are expected to rise this year, the introduction of Turkish products to Taiwan is key for trade growth.
17.07.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA
We do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
