NEWS SCAN for Turkey – Nov 15th, 2013

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

Let’s just stay as friends, Turkish Cypriots to Greeks

Creating a single Cypriot nation composed of Turks and Greeks is impossible, and if the two sides cannot agree on a peaceful solution, it would be better for them to remain “friends” while enjoying sovereignty in their respective territories, the president of Turkish Cypriots has suggested.

“It’s true that the Greek Cypriots do not want to marry us or get a divorce. Then what can happen is that the Greek Cypriots will live in the south and we’ll live in the north. We can’t create a nation from these two communities in Cyprus,” Derviş Eroğlu, president of Turkish Cyprus, told a group visiting journalists on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the independent Turkish Cypriot state.

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

Shutting down prep schools a blow to free enterprise, education

Legal experts as well as educators have reacted strongly to the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) plans to abolish educational institutions that assist high school students to prepare for the national university admission examination, saying the move would be against the freedom of companies to operate for profits, as well as a violation of the freedom of education.
The government has finished work on the draft version of a law that foresees the closure of all kinds of prep schools, or dershanes, beginning with the 2013-2014 school year and imposing fines on those that continue to operate. The move is seen as a huge blow to free enterprise and others have criticized the idea for its potential to block upward mobility in Turkish society.

Professor Mehmet Altan, who teaches at İstanbul University’s department of political economy, has said closing down prep schools and banning the opening of new ones is a direct intervention targeting the market economy. “It is a blow to the economic regime. Unfortunately, the freedom of individuals to own private businesses is being taken away. There is no rational explanation to limiting or banning legal activities. There is no explanation in a country with a free market.”

TODAYS ZAMAN

Ruling AKP asks for the dissolution of the Charter panel

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has called for the dissolution of the Parliament’s Constitution Conciliation Commission arguing that the negotiations on the draft articles have come to a deadlock.

Mehmet Ali Şahin, a commission member representing the AKP, has reportedly asked the Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek to dissolve the commission during a closed-door meeting of the Charter panel at Parliament in Ankara on Nov. 18, sources told Hürriyet Daily News. Şahin maintained that Çiçek, who also chairs the Charter panel, had such authority as the Commission was established on shis initiative two years ago.

However, Commission members from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) objected to Şahin’s proposition.

HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

Resolution process to be crowned in Diyarbakır

Prime Minister Erdoğan says his plans to visit the southeastern province of Diyarbakir over the weekend, will be a historical occasion that will crown the ongoing resolution process. Revealing plans to meet with Northern Iraq’s regional government leader Barzani, to host a number of facility openings and a mass wedding ceremony for 300 as well as a legendary concert performed by the İbrahim Tatlises and Şivan Perver duo, Erdoğan stated, “Our greatest hope is for this to be an occasion of peace and solidarity for the regional public.”

Prime Minister Erdoğan explained his vision of the historical weekend that awaits the southeastern province of Diyarbakir during a press conference held with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday. “We will experience a historical process this weekend in Diyarbakir,” stated Erdoğan, explaining that in addition to taking part in a number of openings they will also be hosting a mass wedding ceremony for 300 couples. “We wanted this mass ceremony to be realized in a very unique manner, by also inviting Massoud Barzani, and for it to be a crowning of the resolution process. Then we also said, ‘let’s bring two great friends such as İbrahim Tatlıses and Şivan Perver together.’ After a grave tragedy, this will be the first time that Mr. İbrahim will be taking the stage here and he will be performing a duet with Şivan Perver,” explained Erdoğan.

SABAH

Istanbul hosts World Cities Culture Forum

The World Cities Culture Forum, a major global initiative on culture and the future of cities which aims to develop culture, was founded in 2012 with the participation of Johannesburg, London, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo and Istanbul and has reached 23 members in a short period of time.

The forum was organized around the key themes of promotion and positioning on the world stage, new cultural infrastructure, participation in and support for creative expression, and strategies for embedding culture across public services.

“Cities are now political actors competing with states. We believe that global cities will succeed in what states could not succeed in. Istanbul is an ancient city, which has given a peace message to the region and the world so far,” Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Omer Celik said during his speech.

“Istanbul is a source of pride for our country. We are exerting efforts for it to become a source of pride for the world,” Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu said in expressing his pleasure at Istanbul’s position.

AA

Çiçek praises Turkish-Australian friendship

Parliament Speaker  Çiçek who received the members of the Australian media representatives at the Turkish Grand National Assembly said “I wish we will have opportunities to further strengthen our relations with Australia.

Çiçek who reminded the World War I to the media representatives said “wars provoke other wars but established a bond of friendship between Australia and Turkey. Relations between Turkey and Australia are quite promising”.

TRT

15.11.2013
compiled by Editor BTT,

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