Down below you will find a summary of topics from major Turkish papers and internet sites
Turkey already aware judicial problems in EU progress report: Minister
Turkey’s justice minister said they are aware of the problems that European Union put its fingers on in its recently released progress report, while expressing his disappointment for not seeing enough self-criticism in the union’s part.
While expressing his gratification for the compliments for justice system, which constitute a larger space than the criticisms in the report, the minister Sadullah Ergin told daily Radikal that the EU’s reservations on the Turkish justice system have already been addressed by the government. Addressing the, “poor quality of indictments,” criticism in particular, Ergin said this is aroused by the low education quality of employees and is one of the issues tackled by the Justice Ministry.
“We are working on a study to examine the judiciary personnel’s educational background and we will share its results with the public soon,” he said. The poor quality of indictments was one of the top issues repeated throughout the report, as it is one the most prominent, “impediments for effective defense.”
HURRIYETDAILYENEWS.COM
104 die on Turkish roads before Eid al-Adha ends, TESK says
One hundred four people have died and 535 have been injured in accidents across Turkey in the first seven days of the extended Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday, the chairman of the Turkish Tradesmen’s and Artisans’ Confederation (TESK), Bendevi Palandöken has said in a written statement.
The statement indicates there will be another bitter death toll from accidents, something Turkey faces every Eid holiday as people set off to visit other cities across the country. Palandöken’s statement also served as a warning for the 20 million people who went on vacation for the holiday. He warned drivers to exercise additional caution as people return home, causing great congestion on the roads.
The chairman stated that 8,801,512 accidents have taken place in Turkey over the last 10 years, in which 42,701 lost their lives. “Comparing the number of accidents that took place in 2003 to those in 2012, there has been a 185 percent rise. Unfortunately, the problem of drivers violating traffic rules has not yet been solved,” he added.
TODAYSZAMAN.COM
Syria, Gezi raise doubts on Erdoğan’s leadership: Analysis
The European Union’s annual progress report reflects the bloc’s reservations over the Erdoğan government’s handling the Syria conflict and the Gezi park protests. The government’s recent policy choices also make EU’s priority for Turkey questionable for members of European Parliament. Seeing and hearing blunt expressions of skepticism over the way Turkey’s government has handled various domestic and international crises, it is not so difficult to arrive at the conclusion that the annual progress report released Oct. 16 is actually a European Union attempt to give bitter messages without alienating the government.
As a matter of fact, EU Commissioner Stefan Füle himself openly explained that “disengagement” with Turkey due to the government’s response to the Gezi Park unrest came on the agenda as an option in the run-up to the release of the report. Yet, the idea that eventually prevailed was, as said by Füle, the following: “The EU needs to step up its engagement with Turkey and Turkish citizens in fulfilling their legitimate expectations of further reforms that can strengthen freedom of expression, freedom of media and freedom of assembly.”
Acknowledging the need for stronger engagement like European Commission officials, senior members of the European Parliament have, however, been more straightforward in their criticism toward the government. “The capacity for leadership from Erdoğan has been found wanting. The potential has disappeared and it is obvious that the EU is not his priority anymore,” a senior MEP said, while carefully noting that Turkey deserves to be closer to the EU and full membership as well.
HURRIYETDAILYNEWS.COM
Shell to drill for shale gas in southeastern Turkey
Royal Dutch Shell and Turkey’s state-owned oil company the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) will jointly begin to explore for shale gas in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakir this month.
The first two wells to be drilled in Konacik will have a depth of 3,000 meters and will be followed by horizontal drilling to reach shale reserves thought to be in the area. Shell plans to open over 20 wells if initial drills are found to be successful.
Shell and TPAO signed a deal in late 2011 to jointly explore and produce oil and gas in Batman and Diyarbakır provinces in southeastern Turkey.
Looking to reduce its dependency on imported fuels, Turkey has accelerated energy exploration and production efforts in recent years. The country is thought to have substantial reserves of shale gas in Thrace, in the Central Anatolian provinces of Ankara, Konya, Nevsehir, as well as in Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia and Diyarbakir in the Southeastern Anatolia regions.
INVEST.GOV.TR
Prime Minister Erdoğan to pay a visit to Russia at the end of November
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be paying a visit to the Russian capital of Moscow on November 21-22 to take part in a high-level cooperation council, which functions similarly to a joint council of ministers meeting between Russia and Turkey. Prime Minister Erdoğan, who is anticipated to depart for Moscow accompanied by a crowded delegation, will also take part in bipartite and inter-delegation meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The situation in Syria as well as Middle East regional issues will be laid to the table during the meeting as will the issue of joint trade and investment relations between the nations.
In a recent interview with RİA Novosti, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said “Regional and international issues are just one branch of our cooperation with Turkey within a multidimensional framework. We are in dialogue with our Turkish partners on the issue of Syria. Yes, our approaches differ, however our objective is the same: putting an end to the bloodshed in Syria. Turkey is our close neighbor and an old and reliable partner of ours in the region. Our mutual cooperation which has progressed in a number of areas has in essence reached a new level. We are talking about a strategic partnership in a number of areas including energy.”
SABAH
18.10.2013
compiled by Editor BTT,
We do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
