NEWS SCAN for Turkey – Sept 15th, 2013

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

Kerry informs Davutoğlu on Syria deal

It has been reported by  diplomatic sources that US Secretary of State Kerry has phoned Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu to inform Turkey about the details of a deal reached on Syrian chemical weapons between US and Russia.

Davutoglu on the other hand is reported to haave reiterated Turkey’s concerns on chemical attacks carried out by the Assad regime and informed Kerry on Turkish views on the deal and the process to follow.

Davutoglu has also told Kerry that the process to dispose Syria’s chemical weapons would not end the urgent necessity to end the crisis in Syria and the human tragedy in Syria would escalate if deterrent precautions against massacres without using chemical weapons are taken.

Sources have reported that Kerry and Davutoglu have agreed to talk again on the issue in the coming days.

Turkey softens its rhetoric towards coup administration in Egypt

Emerging as one of the most vocal international critics of the military coup that ousted the first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, on July 3, Turkey seems to have softened its harsh rhetoric towards the military-backed administration in Cairo in the last few days. Pundits say the sign of a thaw will enable Turkey to play a role in efforts to solve the chaotic situation in the country.

Since the coup took place in July, Ankara has taken the side of the Brotherhood and their demonstrations, claiming that what took place in Egypt was a coup, contrary to other countries which refrained from calling it as such. However, Turkey found itself alone in strongly condemning the ouster of Morsi and calling on the Egyptian military to restore the democratically elected government. Harsh condemnation of the military-backed government in Egypt strained ties and a tit-for-tat spat grew between Egypt and Turkey.

Yet, the last few days have shown that Turkey may now be reconsidering its position towards Cairo. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has directed severe criticism towards the coup planners in nearly every speech he has delivered, seems to have softened his remarks, though still mentioning the crisis in the Arab country. Observers note that the Turkish government, while keeping its “honorable stance” by still opposing the coup, should now find ways to revive diplomatic channels.

Turkey welcomes diplomatic breakthrough on securing and destroying Syria’s chemical weapons

Turkish foriegn ministry stated that Turkey would welcome the dismantling of all weapons of mass destruction in the world and in the region and the chemical weapons in particular” on Saturday. The Ministry also added  that the agreement reached in Geneva between the United States and the Russian Federation regarding the chemical weapons possessed by the Syrian regime was considered to be a positive step.

Ankara stated that the agreement must not be exploited by the Syrian regime and must not turn to a process by which the regime would gain time to carry out new massacres against its people. Turkey voiced its skepticism and caution, saying that the announced timeframe is lengthy and susceptible to the exploitation of the regime.

“The sanctions that will be imposed in case the regime does not rapidly and strictly fulfill its obligations and the agreement comes to naught should be spelt out clearly from the start,” the statement says, adding that the implementation of the agreement must be ensured and enforced by the United Nations Security Council.

“The ultimate goal in Syria must be to end the crimes against humanity that have been perpetrated in this country by the regime over nearly three years, to fulfill the legitimate demands of the population and to enable the people of Syria to establish a legitimate administration,” the statement added.

Turkish PM increases rhetoric against CHP, accusing it of fomenting unrest

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) of fomenting unrest across the country, particularly through a sectarian tension.

“We am particularly calling on our Alevi brothers. There are attempts to exhibit a dirty scenario involving the main opposition. There are attempts to set the streets on fire. A dirty hand is using the main opposition as a tool to create unrest,” Erdoğan said, during a mass opening ceremony in the eastern Adiyaman province on Sept. 14.

“Alevis and Sunnis are one on this land. We won’t fall into the traps of provocateurs [manipulated] by the enemies of Turkey,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan suggested that there were attempts to stage incidents that were similar to the Kahramanmaraş and Çorum massacres, deadly sectarian clashes which took place in 1978 and 1980 respectively.

Women need more equal rights, says Doğan chair

“The female workforce participation rate is around 25 percent in Turkey, ranking it 105th among 180 countries. The same rate is 60 percent in Western Europe, and 80 percent in the Northern Europe. Unfortunately, the majority of our women, for the most part, can only work in the agricultural or services sector,” she said, noting that Turkey ultimately stands 124th among 136 countries in the world in gender equality.

Almost half of female employees are not officially registered as employees, according to the state-run statistics body TÜİK’s data.

“The interesting point here is that the number of female CEOs in Turkey is very high. While the share of female CEOs is around 12 percent in Turkey, it is 6 percent in Europe. Of course, Turkey’s high volume of family companies is partially significant here. The main point here, however, is that the more equal rights [and educational opportunities] that are offered to women, the higher the possibility that they will be able to prove themselves,” she said.

15.09.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA

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