Down below you will find a summary of topics from major Turkish papers and internet sites
Lawmakers wearing headscarf attend session in Turkish Parliament for first time
Four female lawmakers of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) today entered the Turkish Parliament wearing headscarves 14 years after a similar move led to tensions. Nurcan Dalbudak, Gülay Samancı, Gönül Bekin Şahkulubey and Sevde Beyazıt Kaçar became the first women wearing headscarves to attend a parliamentray session. Deputy Parliament Speaker Meral Akşener, who was chairing the session, called for a recess after the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) called for a debate on order.
The response from the CHP was being followed closely, as the party has labeled the move “insincere” and announced that it “will not fall into AKP’s trap” by overreacting. “All AKP is intending to do with this headscarf issue is play the role of the ‘mistreated.’ We will not fall into this trap. We will not let the AKP play the role of the mistreated while they are the haughty party. We will take Erdoğan’s trump card from his hands,” the CHP’s deputy parliamentary group chair Muharrem İnce told reporters, following his party’s closed-door parliamentary group meeting Oct. 30.
President Abdullah Gül, for his part, said there was no legal obstacle against the attendance of veiled lawmakers at Parliament, emphasizing that the CHP had also made contributions to pave the way for the recent legislative change.
HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
5th Izmir Economic Congress starts today
The 5th Izmir Economic Congress started today at Swiss Hotel Grand Efes Congress Center in İzmir with the main theme “Turkish Economy in the Light of the Global Economic Restructuring”. Approximately 3000 guests are expected to follow the 34 sessions where 241 panelists will speak. The opening session of the congress will be attended by President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Deputy PM Ali Babacan, Development Minister Cevdet Yilmaz and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. The Congress will last for three days and have a special session on Izmir’s Expo 2020 candidacy.
DUNYA.COM
Nuclear plant deal signed between Turkey and Japan
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed on Tuesday an agreement for the construction of Turkey’s second nuclear power plant in Sinop. Speaking at a press conference after the meeting at Dolmabahce, Erdogan said Turkey was cooperating with Japan in this project as a result of Japan’s advanced technology in nuclear energy and added that Turkey was well aware of the risks, citing the Fukushima disaster. For his part, Shinzo Abe said he welcomed the agreement and noted that Japan had the responsibility to share with the world the lessons learnt from the Fukushima incident. Construction of Turkey’s first nuclear plant in the province of Mersin is currently underway.
DUNYA.COM
Turkey needs second generation of reforms: President Gül
President Abdullah Gül issues a call for a ‘second-generation’ of reforms focusing on education to help Turkey take its place among the global elite. Structural transformations in Turkey have yet to be completed and the country needs a “second generation” of structural reforms that privilege raising the quality of education, President Abdullah Gül said during the opening ceremony of the 5th İzmir Economic Congress on Oct 30.
Gül stated that amid the global financial crisis environment, balances had been reshaped in many countries and states, adding that the international and regional conjuncture offered a golden opportunity for Turkey to close the human and welfare gap with developed countries.
In order to use this opportunity, the country needs to benefit from the dynamics that will boost political and economic stability, strengthen diplomatic gains and assure fast sustainable growth, he said, noting that this would be possible based on demographic, democratic, peace and information developments. “I believe that when we benefit from these four factors in the best way, we will reach our 2023 targets very fast and securely. Firstly, it is indispensable that we should benefit from demographic premium provided by our young and dynamic population of over 75 million people. We can realize this only with a good educational system and qualified human capital,” he said.
HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
Turkey’s Islamic finance sector set for makeover
Turkey’s Islamic finance industry is being reshaped as banks widen their product range and new competitors prepare to enter the market, according to a Thomson Reuters study released on Wednesday. Promoting Islamic finance in Turkey, the world’s 17th largest economy with a predominantly Muslim population of 76 million, is part of government plans to boost commercial ties with the Gulf and diversify the country’s investor base.
Turkey’s Islamic banks, known locally as participation banks because of political sensitivities in the constitutionally secular country, have seen their assets grow six-fold over the last decade as their combined branch network has more than tripled. Last year Islamic banks reached a combined $36 billion in assets, representing a 5 percent share of total banking assets. This was a 25 percent rise from a year earlier, compared to 13 percent growth for conventional banks.
The study estimates Islamic bank assets could reach between $80 billion and $120 billion by 2017; the lower estimate would give them a 9 percent share of total banking assets, on track to meet a government target of 15 percent by 2023.
TODAYS ZAMAN
Turkey leaps three places in “Doing Business 2014” report of World Bank
Turkey ranked 69th in World Bank’s “Doing Business 2014” report among 189 countries, moving from the 72th place in last year’s report. Released by World Bank on Monday, the report pointed to strengthening of investor protection in Turkey through a new commercial code that requires directord found liable in abusive related-party transactions to disgorge their profits, allowing shareholders to request the appointment of an auditor to investigate alleged prejudicial conflicts of interest. Commenting on the report, “We ranked 69th according to this year’s report. Although we are not very happy with our rank, it is nice to witness an improvement compared to the previous year.” Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said.
DUNYA.COM
24.10.2013
compiled by Editor BTT,
We do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
