NEWS SCAN for Turkey – June 12th, 2013
Down below you will find a summary of topics from major Turkish papers and internet sites.
Governor: Intervention in Taksim will continue until full security is ensured
Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu has said “Some marginal groups have tried to instigate conflict in Istanbul” and called on citizens not to go to Taksim Square until security is entirely restored by police forces.
At a press briefing accompanied by Istanbul Police Chief Hüseyin Çapkın on June 11 Mutlu went on to say “The state has opened Taksim Square after 15 days; from today I plead with our dear people not to be in the square until the process in which the security of the square is ensured [is completed],”
He emphasized that their response to groups that clashed with the police would be stronger and said “The unshakable power of our state and nation will fall upon the marginal groups”.
The Governor also warned the families of the youth occupying Gezi Park for the past two weeks and asked them to remove their children, saying their lives were in serious jeopardy.
Turkish PM vows tougher action against Gezi Park protestors
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said they would no longer tolerate massive rallies in Turkey, adopting a rather harsher stance on Gezi Park protestors only a day before his scheduled meeting with representative of environmental activists.
“We will not only terminate these incidents, we will be on these terrorists’ back in the frame of law. No one will get away with what they did,” Erdoğan said in his long parliamentary address to his Justice and Development Party (AKP) group yesterday. Erdoğan held consecutive rallies over the weekend in an apparent effort to change the public impression that the mass rallies were only to protect the Gezi Park from being demolished.
Erdoğan also expressed that activists occupying Gezi Parkı in Taksim were just part of an orchestrated plot against the AKP by internal and external lobby groups that joined forces to stop the economic and political rise of Turkey adding some of the activists had sincere approaches toward the environment. The PM called on these youngsters to separate themselves from the illegal groups and to end their occupation of the Gezi Park.
GDP up by 3 pct in Q1, economy continues growth for 3.5 yrs
Shoppers crowd a newly opened mall in Adana. Domestic consumption has largely contributed to the
Turkey’s economy continued its growth for the past 14 quarters as the economy expanded by 3 percent over expectations in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same quarter last year, the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) announced on Tuesday.
According to TurkStat, the gross domestic product totaled TL 28.1 billion in the first quarter. In addition, for the first quarter, calendar and seasonal adjusted growth rose by 1.6 percent.
The fastest growth was achieved in the tourism sector at 13.7 percent in the first quarter, mainly via hotels and restaurants, and the sector’s growth totaled TL 420.7 million. Financial intermediary institutions came second with growth of 6.5 percent and a value of TL 3.5 billion. The contribution of these sectors to the total gross domestic product (GDP) was 1.5 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively.
Moody’s says countrywide protests have increased Turkey’s deficit risks
Moody’s have made a statement saying the countrywide protests have increased Turkey’s balance of payment risks by reducing tourist arrivals and portfolio investment inflows.
The agency also stated that the political disturbances had become increasingly negative. The agency also said “the more they intensify and the longer they continue because they heighten the government of Turkey’s (Baa3 stable) susceptibility to balance of payments risks through reduced tourist arrivals and portfolio investment inflows, an important source of current account funding”.
The agency also warned that continued protests could also deter foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, a more stable source of current account financing in Turkey. It added “However, the current level of political and balance of payment risks are captured in our rating and outlook.7”.
Davutoglu continues diplomatic efforts to find a settlement to the Syrian crisis
It is reported that Davutoglu has spoken to several foreign ministers in the last three days to include US Secretary of State John Kerry and Qatar’s Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber bin Muhammad Al Thani.
The Turkish Prime Minister also had phone calls with his British counterpart William Hague, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Tuesday, as well as EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.
It is reported that The Turkish foreign minister discussed all dimensions of the Syrian issue and latest developments and evaluated a planned international peace conference in Geneva.
Number one suspect in Reyhanlı attack captured
The main suspect for twin car bombs that exploded outside a post office and the town hall in the Hatay town of Reyhanlı and caused 51 deaths and the injury of many others was captured by the police while he was crossing into Syria on late Monday.
On May 11 2013, a car bomb had exploded outside city hall while another gone off outside the post office in Reyhanlı, a main hub for Syrian refugees and opposition activity in Hatay province. Fifty-one people had been killed and as many as 100 injured in the bombings.
Eskiocak was caught with three other people who are suspected of aiding and abetting him.
12.06.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA
We do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
