The Netherlands' public prosecutor's office has said it is unable to confirm the report, but De Telegraaf claims that Dutch justice authorities knew as early as November where B. was hiding. The prosecutors say it is impossible to force Baran's return to the Netherlands, because Turkey does not extradite its own subjects.

Saban escaped in September when he was on special leave, ostensibly to visit his girlfriend and baby. The court decision to grant the man leave caused an uproar, and the judges later admitted they had underestimated the risk that Saban would run away. Several of his victims went into hiding when it became clear that the trafficker was at large.

Labels: Criminal Law, EU, The Netherlands, Turkey

Nearly 10 minutes later, at 5.01 p.m. local time, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck about 30 miles away from the epicenter of the first tremor. A spokeswoman for the United States Geological Survey said a second aftershock struck minutes later, at 5.12 p.m. local time, and had a preliminary magnitude of 5.5.

In Turkey the General Directorate of Security said on Wednesday that 52 Turkish policemen assigned in United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) were reported to be in good condition in the wake of the major earthquake that hit Haiti. Directorate of Security issued a statement and said they tried to establish communication with the Turkish policemen after the earthquake and could only get information about their condition on Wednesday morning.

A group of experts in disaster response, health in emergency and logistics will arrive in Haiti later today to support the Haitian Red Cross in the relief efforts and to begin to coordinate international assistance from members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as well as other organizations.In addition, a Red Cross team will lead a damage assessment together with the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Union.

For more click here

Labels: Earthquake, EU, Haiti, Turkey

Labels: advertising, Turkey, Turkish Digest

Cyprus problem that stands on the way of Turkey through EU seems like to be solved within 5 months. On the other hand, we are at the bottom of the latter for the Armenian issue which turned into a 100 years old blood feud. There are two big problems that poison the relations of Turkey with the Westerner World since 80 years. The first is Cyprus problem. And the second is Armenian issue. Several politicians struggled to solve the Cyprus issue which turned into an obstacle for Turkey as Greeks were burning with the dreams of ’Enosis’. Fatih Rustu Zorlu, Rauf Denktaş, Bulent Ecevit and Suleyman Demirel all tried different methods but they could not break off the chains of Cyprus. Recently Erdogan tried to break the chains off by seeking a rapprochement with EU and UN but it was again not successul. And Cyprus went on to be an obstacle for Turkey’s EU membership. But it seems that chains will be broken off within five months. There will be an agreement under EU or on a new plan. Or the way will be paved for seperation of Turkish and Greek people of the Island. So, Cyprus will be the first examination for the future of Turkey’s relations with the West.

And the second examination will be on Armenian issue.

Why? Because a new period started in the 100 years old blood feud. In this new period, there is chaos and even earthquake in the Armenian World. On the other hand, Armenian world is not different than earlier. Armenian diaspora is still spitting fire. They are accusing Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan of betrayal because he agreed on establishment of committee of historians to make researches on 1915 events. But more important than that, there is astonishment in Canada which had surrendered to Armenian diaspora since Colonel Atilla Altikat assassination in Ottowa in 1982. They do not know what to do. At one of the sides, there is Turkey, ally of Canada in NATO, which officially protests Canada since the murder of Altikat. And at the other side, strong Armenian diaspora which knocks the doors of Canadian politicians.

Labels: Armenia, Cyprus, Turkey

Labels: Ergenekon, Turkey

The European Parliament held a heated debate yesterday (25 November) on future EU enlargement but also offered congratulations to Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, who is expected to take a different portfolio in the Barroso II team.Olli Rehn, the quiet Finn who once humbly described himself as "only the factory manager" in the gigantic effort of preparing countries for EU membership, summed up his five-year term by saying that five years ago, he had wanted to see a number of things achieved by the end of 2009:
* An EU of 27 member states;
* Croatia's accession process entering the final stages;
* the other Western Balkan countries anchored in the EU through Stabilization and Association Agreements (SAAs);
* Turkey firmly on a European track;
* Kosovo's status settled, and;
* Cyprus reunified.

Labels: EU Enlargement, Turkey

Spiegel: "The Turkish government fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. The Turkish government says it fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. But many secular and religious Turks say they would welcome a debate with the polemic politician.

"Normally, the army belongs in the barracks. But I will make an exception for Turkey." Wilders wrote. "The Turkish army is the greatest defender of Kemal Ataturk's legacy, the man who compared Islam with a rotting corpse. Without the corrective influence of the army, Turkey would already be a second Iran." This position is incomprehensible and indefensible, said Mustafa Akyol, a columnist and deputy editor of the Turkish Daily News and a practicing Muslim. "Wilders forgets that Ataturk in his time (the 1920 and 30s) turned Turkey's face to the West, but that the West wasn't a very pleasant place at the time. Many of the European fascist and nationalist ideologies of the time, like that of authoritarian one-party states, were thus imported to Turkey and the secular Turks have held onto them until now.''

Note EU-Digest: Mr. Wilders, a one dimensional politician, who usually is completely off the track when it comes to conventional political activities and historical research, this time certainly read up well on Turkish history and Ataturk's legendary vision about Islam and the dangers of Islam or any other religion openly or covertly imposed as a State religion.

Labels: EU, Geert Wilders, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, The Netherlands, Turkey

Tensions Between Turkey and the West Increase - by Dan Bilefski from the New York Times

The New York Times Reports that with Turkey’s prospects for joining the European Union more elusive than ever and the country reaching out to predominantly Muslim countries with a vigor not seen in years, a longstanding question is vexing the United States and Europe: is this large, secular Muslim country turning East instead of West? When President Barack Obama visited Turkey in April — a symbolic gesture that underlined Turkey’s geo-strategic importance — he emphasized Turkey’s role as a bridge between East and West, acknowledged its mediation in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and threw his weight solidly behind Turkey becoming an European Union member. Now, six months later, some in Washington and Brussels are questioning Turkey’s dependability as an ally, and many Turks are asking whether they should reject the EU before the bloc rejects them.

Note EU-Digest:This New York Times report is a typical reflection of behind the scenes manipulation by political entities in Israel, the EU and the US, who are getting more and more frustrated in their efforts to develop a solid partnership with a Turkey led by a more and more unpredictable and increasingly less secular motivated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It also shows the result of EU's lack of sensitivity in its dealings with Turkey, as it relates to their membership in the EU. While the EU has allowed practically "Mafia run" Eastern European countries like Romania and Bulgaria to become members of the EU on a fast track, they have been turning the screws on Turkey at every possible occasion and slowing down their EU membership access procedures to a snails pace. Thirdly and possibly more accurate, the New York Times article, published in one of the most influential publications in the US favorable to the Obama Administration could also indicate that a regime change is in the making for Turkey? Time will tell.

Labels: EU, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, USA

Turkish PM says IMF problem solved, wants deal soon

Turkey has resolved its dispute with the International Monetary Fund over an independent tax authority and wants a loan deal soon, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Labels: IMF, Turkey

Turkey cannot escape the ravages of the global recession. But this time it may avoid the pains that often afflict this promising country in a downturn. For the Turks, a recession usually goes like this: A wild boom triggers high inflation, the currency collapses, and the poorly managed banking sector, hooked on speculative trading and foreign debt, has a near-death experience. Turkey has a well-educated workforce, proximity to Europe, and a shrewd management class. But financial fragility, including a meltdown that sparked riots in 2001, has kept it from entering the first rank of emerging market economies. In the current turmoil, to everyone's amazement, things have been different. The economy has been dealt a body blow as exports have stalled. While structural problems still exist, in both the political and regulatory spheres, the financial system has held firm even as U.S. and European banks have hovered on the brink."

More:For the complete report from BusinessWeek click on this link

Labels: Economic Meltdown, Turkey

Ciara And Justin Timberlake's "Love Sex Magic" Banned In Turkey

Ciara and Justin Timberlake's steamy music video for "Love Sex Magic" has been banned in Turkey. The country's Radio and Television Supreme Council has prohibited all TV channels from broadcasting the single due to its explicit sexual content. The video in question shows the sexily dressed songstress licking the former boyband singer's ears as they both dance close to each other. Turkey has banned the music video because, according to the mainly Muslim nation's Milliyet newspaper, it contains "sexual outfits, dancing and scenes that are contrary to the development of children and youth and morality in general."

Labels: Censorship, Turkey

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Labels: Russia, Turkey

Turkey unemployment hits record high of 16.1 pct

Turkey's unemployment rate jumped to a record high of 16.1 percent in the January-March period, due to a sharp contraction in the economy, the Turkish Statistics Institute said on Friday.The unemployment rate, measured on a three-month moving average, stood at 15.5 percent from December to February and 11.9 percent in the January-March period a year earlier. Analysts are forecasting that Turkey's economic slump probably deepened in the first quarter of 2009, with the slow-down in GDP likely reaching double figures. The global economic crisis has hit Turkey hard and the International Monetary Fund expects the country's economy to shrink 5.1 percent this year.

Labels: Economy, Turkey

Istanbul: Exotic city of a thousand enchantments - by Patti Nickell

If I hadn't been there, I wouldn't have believed it. Over the course of an evening, I watched a woman catch her hair on fire (it was quickly doused), a group of angels abandoning any angelic traits to get down and dirty with a group of devils (they turned out to be members of a bachelorette party), and a transvestite belly dancer cavorting on a revolving stage. I was in Istanbul, watching as the city's predominantly Muslim populace carried on as they do most nights here at Al Jamal. Al Jamal, a restaurant/nightclub frequented by locals and visitors, is a microcosm for Istanbul, a city full of contradictions.

Then there is the question of religion. During a city tour, my guide told me that although 99 percent of Istanbul's population is Muslim, only a small fraction go to the mosque daily, with the vast majority considering once a week sufficient. In Turkey, where the constitution mandates a secular government, there is a high tolerance for other religions, as can be seen in two of Istanbul's premier sites.

Labels: Tourism, Turkey

Turkey blast kills nine soldiers

At least nine soldiers have been killed in a landmine explosion in south-eastern Turkey, officials say. Military sources blamed Kurdish rebels for the attack on a road linking the predominantly Kurdish cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol. Correspondents say it is the deadliest attack on security forces for months.

Labels: Kurdish PKK Terrorists, Turkey

Obama Statement on Armenian Remembrance Day

President Barack Obama on Friday refrained from branding the massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey a "genocide," breaking a campaign promise while contending his views about the 20th century slaughter had not changed.Marking the grim anniversary of the start of the killings, the president referred to them as "one of the great atrocities of the 20th century."

Labels: Armenia, Armenian Massacre, Barack Obama, Turkey

Sweden Backs Turkey for EU Membership - by Bao Congying

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said Tuesday that Sweden supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union (EU). Reinfeldt made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan following their talks in the Turkish capital.

"Turkey belongs to Europe. Turkey is a crucial country for Europe. With its regional role and young population, Turkey carries strategic importance for the EU," Reinfeldt said.

"Topics such as press freedom, freedom of expression, religious minorities, cultural rights, and the socioeconomic situation in southeastern Anatolia may be brought up in the EU process. The establishment of a TV channel in Kurdish in Turkey was an important step," Reinfeldt said.

Labels: EU Enlargement, Sweden, Turkey

Labels: EU Enlargement, Free Press, Freedom of Expression, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey

Leave Turkey’s bid to join EU to us, Nicolas Sarkozy warns Barack Obama - by David Charter

The love-in between Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama proved short-lived after the French President warned his US counterpart yesterday to keep his nose out of the issue of Turkey’s membership of the European Union. President Obama used his first EU-US summit, on the eve of his visit to Turkey, to encourage European leaders to embrace the Muslim country and “anchor it in Europe”. However, Mr Sarkozy, a long-standing opponent of full membership for Turkey, rebuffed the US leader in language that seemed to sour the revival of Franco-US relations. Support for Turkey in joining the EU, a process that it began formally in 2005 and hopes to complete before 2020, has long been an American foreign policy goal.

Mr Sarkozy, who has talked of offering Turkey a privileged partnership rather than membership, did not wait to hit back. “I have been working hand in hand with President Obama but when it comes to the European Union it is up to member states of the European Union to decide [on membership],” Mr Sarkozy said in an interview on French television. “I have always been opposed to this entry and I remain opposed,” he added.

Labels: Barack Obama, EU Enlargement, Turkey, USA

West Favors Dane for Top NATO Post, but Turkish Hurdles Remain

The United States gave its blessing to the appointment of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next NATO secretary general in Brussels over the weekend, paving the way for him to take over the trans-Atlantic alliance's top civilian job in August. Washington also enjoys strong support for the choice of Rasmussen from its three biggest European allies in the alliance -- Germany, France and the UK. Although Rasmussen, 56, declined to publicly comment on the possibility of succeeding Dutch diplomat Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, he never officially ruled himself out as a candidate for a post that has traditionally gone to a European.

The main snag to Rasmussen's nomination, which needs to be approved by all members of the 26-nation alliance, is possible opposition to his candidacy from Turkey, a secular nation that is predominantly Muslim. "The cartoon crisis has a larger dimension than just Turkey," a Turkish official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters. "At a time when NATO is going to assume added responsibility in Afghanistan and Pakistan, having a secretary general with such an objectionable approach to billions of Muslims, is not the right approach to the Muslim world." Turkey has also attacked Denmark for failing to revoke the broadcasting license of a television station that Ankara has accused of being a mouthpiece for Kurdish rebels opposed to the government. Adding fuel to the fire, Rasmussen had publicly stated in 2003 that he opposed full EU membership for Turkey.

"Turkey will certainly not be so foolish as to shoot themselves in the foot with a veto about a religious matter if they claim to be a secular nation and say they believe in Freedom of Speech. Hopefully European NATO members, including the Turks will talk about more serious issues, like what purpose the NATO has now the cold war has ended and why it should become the world's policeman?"

Labels: Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Denmark, EU, NATO, Turkey

The EU-Turkey-Cyprus Triangle: "Setting the Stage" - by Hugh Pope

Turkey has been converging formally with the European Union and its predecessors since it signed an association agreement in 1963, the same year the dispute between Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Turkey and Greece over Cyprus became both a cause and symptom of ups and downs in the EU-Turkey relationship. On the Mediterranean island, armed conflict has been minimal since the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of the northern third, and Turkey and Greece have smoothed over their differences since a 1999 rapprochement. But the 2004 entry of the Republic of Cyprus into the EU as a divided country imported this frozen conflict into the heart of Europe, and created an unbreakable triangle between the EU, Turkey and Cyprus.

Labels: Cyprus, EU, EU Enlargement, Turkey

Turkish president to make state visit to Russia Feb 12-15

Turkish President Abdullah Gul will make a state visit to Russia on February 12-15 at the invitation of President Dmitry Medvedev, the presidential press service on Wednesday. The talks between Medvedev and Gul are scheduled for Friday, February 13. The agenda is quite big and includes a wide range of bilateral and international issues, the Kremlin said. The presidents of Russia and Turkey met for the first time in July 2008 in Astana during celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the Kazakhstani capital. They discussed ways to increase bilateral trade turnover, implement major infrastructure projects and boost cooperation in the field of tourism in the Black Sea area. Gul plans to visit Kazan and meet with Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev. Russia became Turkey's largest trading partner, with a total trade volume of about $38 billion in 2008.

Labels: Russia, Turkey

During a recent trip to Brussels, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan clumsily decided to play the energy card, which did not go down well at all with his hosts. Erdogan warned that Ankara was in a position to block the EU's Nabucco project. The EU regards the construction of the gas pipeline as playing a central role in its attempts to find an alternative to gas supplies from Russia. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, reacted to Erdogan's statement with clear words – accession talks and energy security are two very different pairs of shoes. Erdogan quickly backed away from his threat."

More: For the complete report click on this link

Labels: EU, Russia, Turkey

Turkish PM given hero's welcome on his return following his remarks to Peres about Gaza atrocities

Turkey's PM has received a hero's welcome on his return to Istanbul after he stormed out of a debate about Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Recep Tayyip Erdogan had reacted angrily when he was refused the chance to respond to Israeli President Shimon Peres' defense of the operation. Thousands of people turned out in the city to greet Mr. Erdogan's plane. He told them Mr Peres' language and tone had been unacceptable, so he acted to stand up for Turkish honor. "I only know that I have to protect the honor of Turkey and Turkish people," said Mr Erdogan. "I am not a chief of a tribe. I am the prime minister of Turkey. I have to do what I have to do."

Labels: Davos, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Shimon Peres, Turkey

EU and Turkey eye troops, solutions for Gaza border - by Angela Carlton

French troops, Turkish monitors, British ships, German tunnel detectors, European radar equipment — officials say all these options are being weighed as they try to cement the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The key to a solution is finding a way to choke off smuggling through tunnels under the slender border between Gaza and Egypt while opening the aboveground crossings to travel and trade. The eight-mile frontier is at the heart of secretive diplomacy across Europe and the Middle East this week. Dozens of European monitors and experts are ready to deploy immediately, but not until Egypt — and preferably someone on Hamas' side of the border — agree.Beyond the EU, a special Turkish peacekeeping unit outside Ankara is ready to deploy to the border if needed, Turkish officials have said. But Turkey is officially insisting it is only talking for now about sending monitors, not armed peacekeepers. Turkey enjoys, to some extent, the trust of both Israel and Hamas. It has also offered to mediate between Hamas and the moderate Palestinian movement Fatah led by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas. A Turkish official said there is an "implicit agreement" that the corridors must be reopened for trade and travel for the cease-fire to hold. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Turkey's discussions.

Labels: EU, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Turkey

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Largest ever Dutch Trade delegation visits Turkey - The Netherlands one of Turkey's most important investors

The Largest ever Dutch trade delegation is in Turkey this week - A truly Dutch economic invasion of Turkey. The delegation includes a total of 134 company representatives ranging from Personnel Management to Environmental Companies, and every other category in between. One newspaper reported that even some buses in Turkey are carrying banners with the slogan "Holland Pioneers in International Business".

The Dutch delegation is headed by his Excellency Frank Heemskerk, the Dutch State Secretary of Economic Affairs. Turkish PM his Excellency Recep Erdogan was so impressed by the size of the delegation that he changed his agenda to be able to receive the delegation later this week in Ankara.Yesterday the Dutch delegation cruised the Bosphorus.

The Netherlands is one of the most important investors in Turkey. Last year Dutch investments in Turkey amounted to approximately euro 8.45 billion (US$11b. Turkey is also the 4th most important non-EU member trading partner of the Netherlands after Russia, Switzerland and the US.

The Turkish-Dutch who are citizens of the Netherlands of Turkish ancestry numbered 357,900 people in 2006, according to the Dutch Census Bureau. They make up 2.2% of the total population. The majority of Dutch Turks live in the four major cities of the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht). The first Turks arrived in the 1960s and 1970s as workers to fill up the labor shortage during that time in the Netherlands, as well as in other Western European countries. The majority of Dutch Turks adhere to Sunni Islam, although there is also a considerable Alevi fragment. A number of Turkish-Dutch writers have come to prominence. Halil Gür was one of the earliest, writing short stories about Turkish immigrants. Sadik Yemni is well known for his Turkish-Dutch detective stories. Sevtap Baycili is a more intellectual novelist, who's writing is not limited to migrant themes. Nebahat Albayrak (born April 10, 1968 in Şarkışla) is a Turkish-Dutch politician in the Netherlands. She is the current State Secretary of Justice in the Netherlands.

Labels: EU, Investment, Netherlands, Trade, Turkey

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Christian satellite television sees growth in Turkey

TURK-7 is an exciting Christian television channel broadcasting quality programming to Turkish-speaking people worldwide. TURK-7's Michael Glenn says it's a good fit because the Turkish people are hungry for media. "They are second only to the United States in the number of television channels. So they draw in this stuff, in an eager way. Half the population is under the age of 30. They're more media savvy, more in-tune to this kind of thing. Right now, we're doing four hours a day of broadcasting, and our goal is that within two and a half years, we can go 24/7

Labels: Christianity, Turk-7, Turkey

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The Netherlands-a magnet for Moroccan and Turkish immigrants

For the complete report from the European Science Foundation click on this link

Between success and failure: discrepancies among second generation immigrants in the Netherlands - by Angela Michiko Hama

No less than one quarter of second-generation immigrants in the Netherlands drops out of school. This is the most alarming result of a recent survey conducted among the second generation of Turkish and Moroccan descent in the two largest Dutch cities – Amsterdam and Rotterdam. However, this is only one side to the story as the survey report also shows that other second generation immigrants are doing extremely well, with a third continuing to higher education. How can these immense discrepancies in educational performance among second generation immigrants be explained?

The high drop-out rate among the children of immigrants – who are consequently labelled as 'at risk youth' – seems to be explained by two main factors: "Of course, the low educational level as well as the disadvantaged position in society of the parents of the second generation is part of the explanation", said Liesbeth Heering, International Coordinator of the survey from the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI). "However, the inability to cater for the diversity of the pupils in Dutch schools, especially in vocational schools, is an equally big problem" continued Heering.

Labels: Education, Immigrants, Morocco, Netherlands, Turkey

Click on this link to find out how to improve your sales and cut your advertising costs by 95% in comparison to placing your ad in the written press. Piggy Back your ad on EU-Digest or Turkish Digest and reach a huge Global Audience for a full year, 24 hrs. a day, at a one time low cost fee

Labels: Cem Ozdemir, Germany, Turkey

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ANALYSIS-"Fire in neighbor's house" has Turkey on edge

The conflict between Russia and Georgia threatens to undermine NATO member Turkey's ambitions to become an energy hub and could exacerbate misgivings among EU states about expanding the bloc right up to the Caucasus. The fighting over the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which has unsettled oil markets, is another reminder of the strategic importance of Turkey, a country that wants to join the European Union and sits in a volatile region bordering Iran, Syria, Iraq and former Soviet republics. With no energy resources of its own, Turkey has worked hard to become a transit route for Caspian and Central Asian oil and gas exports as Europe tries to reduce its dependence on Russia.

Along with neighbour Georgia, Turkey hosts the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which brings 1 million barrels per day of Azeri oil to Turkey's Mediterranean coast for Western export. It also hopes to host parts of the European Union-backed Nabucco pipeline, expected to be operational in 2013.

Confidence in the pipelines' security was dented last week when Kurdish terrorists claimed responsibility for an explosion that started a fire on the Turkish section of the BTC pipeline. "The East-West energy corridor and Turkey being an energy hub for the West is one of the principal arguments of Turkey in its application for the EU and the need to have a good relationship with Turkey," said Hugh Pope, senior analyst at International Crisis Group. "This conflict casts a shadow over Turkey's foreign policy platform of creating an area of stability."

Labels: Georgia, Oil, Pipeline, Russia, Turkey

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Turkey’s Governing Party Avoids Ban - Sebnem Arsu

Turkey’s governing party narrowly missed being banned in a court ruling on Wednesday that released months of pressure in the country and handed a victory to the party’s leader, a former Islamist.The party, Justice and Development, or AKP, as it is know in Turkish, was kept alive by just one vote — six members of Turkey’s Constitutional Court voted to close it, but seven were required. A ban would have brought down the government, forcing national elections for the second time in a year and pitching the country into chaos. “A great uncertainty blocking Turkey’s future has been lifted,” said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the party, speaking in Ankara, Turkey’s capital.

And while the ruling was widely viewed as a win for Mr. Erdogan, and in turn for Turkish democracy, the court did not let the party off the hook, voting to cut its public funding in half, a strong but not fatal sanction, and issued a “serious warning,” that the party was steering the country in too Islamic a direction. “AKP is on probation,” said Soli Ozel, a professor at Bilgi University in Istanbul. “The court clearly said it sees the party as a focal institution for Islamizing the country.”

Labels: APK, Democracy, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey

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Turk court to tell scarf reasoning "as soon as possible"

Turkey's Constitutional Court reiterated it will announce the reasoning for its ruling to annul the law lifting the headscarf ban in universities "as soon as possible," and said the reasoning of its decision to annul the bill is likely to be announced this week.



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Labels: Headscarfs, Political, Secularism, Turkey

Macedonia Summit: EU Hopefuls Say Europe Needs the Balkans, Turkey

Balkan nations and Turkey are integral to European stability and should be swiftly accepted into the European Union, regional leaders said at a summit in Macedonia. The European Union would benefit from allowing the Balkans and Turkey to quickly join the bloc, the leaders of 19 mainly central and southern European countries said at a summit in Ohrid, Macedonia on Friday, May 2. Integrating the countries into the EU would stabilize south-eastern Europe, particularly in the wake of Kosovo's independence, they said. "Europe can't be whole without expanding to the western Balkans," Albanian President Bamir Topi said during the meeting's first joint session. The annual two-day summit was focused on the prospect of EU membership.

Labels: Albania, Macedonia, Turkey

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Dutch/Turkish TV presentator Senay Özdemir

For the complete report from Radio Netherlands click on this link

The right of young Turkish Muslims to have sex

Muslim parents in the Netherlands tell their daughters to stay virgin until the day of their wedding. An impossible requirement, says Senay Özdemir. It only leads to hypocrisy and disturbed family relations. Young Muslim women should have more freedom to experiment with sex before marriage.Former tv-presenter Senay Özdemir is a young Dutch woman of Turkish origin. As the editor of a digital magazine for women of immigrant background, SEN Magazine, she knows very well what is going on in the minds of young Muslimas in the Netherlands. Last week she published her view in an opinion article in the Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad. What many Muslim parents in the Netherlands are forgetting, writes Ms Özdemir, is that they themselves were mostly married at a young age and thus could legitimately have sex. In modern Dutch society, however, the age at which young Muslim women marry is steadily rising. The average age is now 23 years, but more educated women often do not marry before 30.

Ms Özdemir knows what she is talking about. As editor of SEN Magazine she daily receives e-mails in which young Muslim women speak freely about their love-life. "Young women of immigrant background increasingly consider oral sex as something quite normal and feel they can't refuse their boyfriends when they ask for anal sex, as that would not damage their virginity."She calls it the 'virginity paradox'. The prohibition of sex, argues Ms Özdemir, is totally ineffective. It has in fact the reverse effect that young Muslim women as well as men become obsessed by sex.

Labels: Muslims, Netherlands, Sex, Turkey

Greece wants Turkey to re-open Istanbul seminary

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis says he wants Turkey to re-open a Greek Orthodox seminary near Istanbul as a pre-condition for a Turkish EU membership. Mr Karamanlis is in Turkey for a three-day visit, the first such visit by a Greek government leader in 50 years. Turkey closed the seminary during the 1971 conflict over Cyprus. The Greek Orthodox Church says it cannot survive in Turkey without a seminary. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is working on a solution, but emphasised that Greece should respect the rights of its Muslim minority.

Labels: Greece, Kostas Karamanlis, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey

A report submitted by the Turkish Alliance of Protestant Churches to Parliament’s Human Rights Commission on the state of religious minorities in Turkey alleges that non-Muslim groups in Turkey have been made into targets for attacks. The report was submitted to the head of the Human Rights Commission, Professor Zafer Uskul, who has gone to Malatya to observe the ongoing trial over the brutal murder of three Christian missionaries last year. The report covers some of the human rights violations that have occurred recently against non-Muslims in Turkey, noting especially that many of the suspects involved in attacks against non-Muslims in this country have not been found or arrested. Part of the report reads as follows: “Despite the fact that freedom of belief is protected by the Constitution, the last decade has witnessed the development of campaigns aimed at denouncing, slandering and provoking non-Muslim groups. Included in this campaign are physical attacks against these groups. This campaign has been contributed to both actively and passively by a concern for media ratings in the Turkish press. Disinformation regarding non-Muslim groups has helped make these groups a target, especially for more radical circles in the nation.”

Labels: Christians, Human Rights, Turkey

EU conference backs terrorists

Turkey has strongly criticized 'The European Union, Turkey and Kurds' conference which was recently held at the European Parliament."The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party)is endeavoring to present itself as representative of the Kurdish people in Turkey, and to fool people into thinking that they are in contact with the organization,” Babacan said.He urged all European governments to be careful to avoid 'the traps set by the terrorist PKK' and to support Turkey in its fight against terrorism. The remarks come as Turkish Prime Minister Recap Tayyip Erdogan on Friday censured European counties for supporting members of the outlawed PKK who reside in Europe.

Labels: Kurdish PKK Terrorists, Turkey

Secularism and Islam: the Turkish experience

Most Turks - including, apparently, many of those who vote for the AKP - are proud of their country’s secular tradition. Earlier this year, when Gul’s presidential candidacy was initially proposed by the AKP, large numbers of them were led to believe that this tradition was somehow under threat. Their suspicions were not entirely unfounded. For instance, a dozen years ago Gul had talked about wishing “to end secularism” - although, not long afterwards, he had also spoken of wanting to see the “Islamic headscarf and the miniskirt walking hand in hand”.

However, it wasn’t so much his utterances that his opponents picked on: they appeared to be piqued by the fact that his wife, Hayrunisa, sports such a headscarf. As do millions of other Turkish women. And, of course, there are large numbers who don’t. Anyhow, back in May there were massive anti-Gul demonstrations in Ankara and Istanbul. In Turkey the president is elected by parliament, and an opposition boycott led the Constitutional Court to annul Gul’s election, because it deemed the assembly inquorate. The decision was handed down after the military made it clear where it stood via a message posted on its website. With only a little bit of exaggeration, it has been described as the world’s first internet coup.

Labels: EU, Islam, Turkey

The environmental quiz - answer and win

Did you know that just by closing the tap in between brushing one's teeth, you could save enough water to fill 6,000 Olympic swimming pools? Take the ALDE quiz and find out many more tips on how to save the environment and your own money! YOUR action counts!

The ALDE Group is the 3rd largest political group in the European Parliament, holding the balance of power between the left and right.

Labels: EU, the Environment, Turkey

Turkey's exotic call: Eurasian flavorings influence culture mix - by Anne Chalfan

The Grand Bazaar boggles the eyes, the ears and the mind, with more than 4,000 shops spread over 61 streets under one roof. It's fascinating and confounding, with pulsating colors and beckoning vendors. Please, have a cup of tea and see our rugs. Lady, you like that purse? I make a good price for you. The Rimskys, who had experienced Grand Bazaar madness on a previous trip, did a little strategic planning prior to this trip and hired the services of the Screaming Shopper, aka Marilyn Hill Henderson. Henderson is a British ex-pat who promises to demystify shopping in Istanbul.

The Rimskys walked into the hotel, grinning and dripping with sweat. Mission accomplished: They had bought three fabulous rugs that were being shipped to their home. And Mary Lou was adorned with a few baubles -- a fabulous gold necklace and earrings. Joe sported a new Izod shirt, with three more tucked in a bag.Turkish people are very friendly and work hard to speak English. Turkey is 99 percent Muslim today, but the nation remains secular, and Turkey is desperate to remain moderate in its quest to join the European Union. Istanbul, despite its milling 16 million, is a fun city with a plummy locale occupying both Europe and Asia. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus, the inlet that divides the two continents.

Labels: EU, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey

Labels: EU, Europe, Turkey

Have Your Say - Is Gul the right choice as Turkish president? - send BBC your feedback

Abdullah Gul has been elected president of Turkey - the first politician with an Islamist background to become Turkish head of state. Mr Gul took his oath at a ceremony in parliament, pledging loyalty to democracy and to the secular Republic. The European Union welcomed Mr Gul's election, calling it a positive step in the country's campaign to join the bloc. What is your reaction to Mr Gul's election as president? Is he the right man for the job? How do you think Turkey's secular opposition and the army will react?

To give your opinion go to the BBC survey by clicking on this link

Labels: EU, Gul, Survey, Turkey

Eurasia festival to offer Turkey award-winning movie premieres

As drought-weary Turkey hopes to welcome cool and rainy days with the arrival of autumn, moviegoers and art lovers also have high hopes that the new season will help them shake off dreary summer days with festivals, major exhibitions and theater and opera performances. The Altın Portakal (Golden Orange) Film Festival, one of Turkey's major film festivals that has been running for more than four decades, will do just that in the holiday hotspot of Antalya when it gets under way in October.

In its 44th year, the Antalya Film Festival -- which covers the Golden Orange and the newly launched sister event, the Eurasia International Film Festival -- is getting ready to salute film buffs with an extensive selection of European and Asian movies and a number of gleaming guests, including movie stars and film professionals from around the globe. Organized by the Turkish Foundation of Cinema and Audiovisual Culture (TÜRSAK) in collaboration with the Antalya Foundation for Culture and Art (AKSAV), both festivals and the Eurasia Film Market will take place Oct. 19-28.

Labels: EU, Film Festival, Turkey

US Army to Examine Iraq Contracts - intended for Iraqi security forces ended up being used for murders and other violent crimes in Turkey.

Among the contracts to be reviewed by the Army are awards to former Halliburton subsidiary KBR, which has received billions of dollars since 2001 to be a major provider of food and shelter services to U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Democrats in the US Congress have claimed that KBR, formerly known as Kellogg Brown and Root, benefited from ties to Vice President Dick Cheney, who once led Halliburton Co., the Houston-based oil services conglomerate, and congressional Republicans.Democrats in Congress have claimed that KBR, formerly known as Kellogg, Brown and Root, benefited from ties to Vice President Dick Cheney, who once led Halliburton Co., the Houston-based oil services conglomerate, and congressional Republicans.

Labels: EU, Iraq, Turkey, USA

Labels: EU, Sarkozy, Turkey

Labels: EU, Israel, Turkey

Military, mosques battle for Turkey- by Mitch Potter

These are topsy-turvy days for the unfinished business that is Turkish democracy, where the struggle for crucial parliamentary elections in eight days boils down to a contest of mosque versus military. On one side is Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is widely expected to earn a fresh mandate after a dichotomous four years in power.

Lining up in opposition are parties loyal to Turkey's omnipresent military establishment, which hovers in the background as the self-appointed guarantor of the secular system of governance founded from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire 84 years ago. Make no mistake that, in this election, size very much matters.

A dramatic AKP landslide will be difficult for traditionally pro-Western army brass and senior judiciary, which has a long and undemocratic history of dismissing governments it deems a threat to the strictly secular principles set down by the beloved founder of the republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

"It is worrying because the situation today is not a political crisis, it is an historical crisis," said Mehmet Altan, a professor of economics at the University of Istanbul. "We live in a military republic and it needs to become a democratic republic. This is an obligation. The struggle between military and mosque is the defining characteristic of power in Turkey. And we need to get over it, get past it somehow. "But in making this transition, Turkey is vulnerable to threat and that's why I am concerned. For me, the soldiers are dangerous and an Islamic state is dangerous. Both extremes make me uncomfortable."Going into these elections, however, Erdogan's AKP has turned that political equation upside down, coming off a four-year run of impressive reforms and fiscal belt-tightening that have earned the blessings of the business community, triggering an unprecedented surge of foreign investment. No one doubts the party's Islamist roots, or its social conservatism, but in opening Turkey to the global economy the AKP has won friends in unlikely places.

Labels: Elections, Turkey

Pious Turks find their place in the sun

By day the Turkish women strip down to bikinis and belly-dance by the swimming pool. But at night they swathe their new suntans in headscarves and join their menfolk for dinner. The Bera Alanya is a five-star hotel on Turkey's Mediterranean coast where men and women have separate swimming pools and alcohol is not served – but female customers enjoy freedoms they often do not find in the public sector. The hotel is part of a growing sector in Turkey that caters for devout wealthy Muslims who want to enjoy the beach without compromising their beliefs – a conservative social class whose support will be key for the ruling AK Party at elections this month.

Behind the success of hotels such as Bera Alanya is an economic boom from which many religiously conservative Turks have greatly benefited. Islamic banks have also seen a boom.

A study by Resort magazine, published by the Mediterranean Hoteliers Associations, shows there are 27 hotels like this one on the coast. Most of them have opened since 2004.Many guests rejected the fears of Turkey's secularists, saying the AK Party has not taken any steps to increase the profile or role of religion in public life. Although they are not all AK Party supporters, many hope that a second term in office – which polls show is likely – will bring reforms to make life easier for devout Muslim Turks.

Labels: Islam, Secularism, Turkey

Turkey: Dried tomatoes twice as profitable as fresh tomatoes

Tomato growers in Manisa, İzmir and Elazığ are exploiting a niche in the market by exporting dried "pole tomatoes" -- so called because they are planted and grown around poles. Tomatoes exported to many European countries, particularly the UK and Italy, have many end uses, from pizzas to the production of ketchup. The dried tomato, for example, is 100 percent more profitable than the type used for tomato sauce. In Manisa, where nearly 80,000 tons of tomatoes are produced, more than 5,000 tons are dried and exported.

There are nearly 30,000 hectares of plastic or glass greenhouses and 22,000 hectares of low plastic tunnels, forming a total of 52,000 hectares of greenhouse cultivation in Turkey. The greenhouses range in size from 1,000 square meters to 3,000 square meters. In other countries greenhouses may be as big as 10 hectares (100,000 square meters). Owing to their low efficiency, the relatively large number of greenhouses in Turkey does not translate into a high production capacity. This partly stems from the fact that the areas of land used are made up of so many separate plots, particularly in Antalya where greenhouses are mostly run by families.

Labels: Export, Tomatoes, Turkey

How the Turks made Europe Safe for Capitalism

The basic argument is not new in historical circles. The theory is that the incursions of the Ottoman Empire -- all the way to the gates of Vienna! -- forced European principalities to stop squabbling against each other and join forces against a common enemy. This is supposed to have had a huge impact on the ability of fledgling Protestantism to survive the bloody Counter-Reformation. Even mighty Catholic potentates like Charles V and the King of the Hapsburgs Ferdinand I were forced to grant concessions to German Protestants in order to gain their help in fighting off the Turk.

Harvard development economist Dani Rodrik, himself of Turkish descent, pointed out Iguyun's paper in his own consistently excellent blog, observing impishly that "you would think the [European Union] would be a bit more hospitable to Turkey's membership aspirations," given the Ottoman Empire's crucial contribution to Europe's economic development. That seems unlikely, but it does raise an entirely different question. If the military threat from the Turks at least temporarily staunched internecine war between Catholic and Protestant, maybe the world today needs a similar external menace to reduce "clash of civilization" tensions between Islam and the West.

Labels: EU, Turkey

FIRST TURKISH MARTYRS SINCE 1923: German Seminary investigates Malatya murders of Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel, and Tilmann Geske - by Elizabeth Kendal

Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel are the first known Muslim converts to Christianity to be martyred, since the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Ugur Yuksel was buried according to Islamic/Alevitic rituals at the orders of his family which vehemently denies his Christian faith. The German victim was buried on 20 April in the Armenian cemetery in Malatya, following the wishes of his widow. This occurred after a bitter fight with the local authorities who unconditionally wanted to prevent Geske's burial in their city. Because of pressure applied by the German government, his burial was only delayed by three hours. Necati Aydin, who was pastor of the local Protestant church in addition to his work in the Zirve Publishing House, was laid to rest on Saturday, 21 April, in his home town of Izmir.

At a press conference a day after the attack, Pastor Ihsan Ozbek (from Ankara), President of the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey, said "Turkey was buried in the darkness of the Middle East." He compared the common, country-wide, widely hawked conspiracy theories which accuse Christians of conspiring against Muslims with the medieval witch hunts in Europe.

Labels: Christianity, Turkey