THIS WEEK:
FOREIGN POLICY
• Israel and Turkey in talks over deadly flotilla raid
ECONOMY / ENERGY
• Turkey, Japan sign deal for Sinop nuclear plant
• Turkey-South Korea free trade deal in effect; call for FTA with Japan
• Turkey to start clean slate with IMF
DOMESTIC POLITICS
• Kurdish rebels confirm they will start retreat from Turkey to Iraq on Wednesday
TUSIAD HIGHLIGHTS
• Seminar on TTIP and its impacts on the Turkish economy
FOREIGN POLICY
Israel and Turkey in talks over deadly flotilla raid
Turkish and Israeli officials met in Jerusalem on May 6 for a second round of talks over compensation for the Israel’s deadly 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla. The Turkish delegation, led by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, was the highest-level diplomatic mission to visit Israel since relations were frozen. The Israeli negotiating team is being led by National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror and special liaison for Turkish reconciliation Joseph Ciechanover.
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AFP, 6 May 2013, Turkey, Israel hold fresh flotilla compensation talks
New York Times, 7 May 2013, Israel and Turkey in talks over deadly flotilla raid
ECONOMY / ENERGY
Turkey, Japan sign deal for Sinop nuclear plant
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, signed a $22 billion deal on Turkey’s second nuclear plant project on May 3 in the Black Sea province of Sinop. The project will be led by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and France’s Areva SA.
“This is a very important deal. With this second nuclear plant, we have also taken the first step toward a third one, which is a lot to us,” Erdoğan told reporters after a signing ceremony with Abe. Erdoğan also emphasized Japan’s safety know-how and experience against earthquakes.
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said that with the nuclear plants, Turkey “will end imports of 7.2 billion dollars worth of natural gas.”
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Wall Street Journal, 2 May 2013, Japan gains nuclear deal for project In Turkey
Hurriyet Daily News, 3 May 2013, Turkey, Japan sign $22 bln deal for Sinop nuclear plant
Anadolu Agency, 6 May 2013, Nuclear plants to help Turkey save $7.2 bln in gas imports
Turkey-South Korea free trade deal in effect; call for FTA with Japan
The free trade agreement between South Korea and Turkey took effect as of May 1.
Meanwhile, during a Turkey-Japan Business Council Joint Meeting, Turkish Minister of Economy Zafer Çağlayan called for negotiations between Turkey and Japan on a free trade agreement to start immediately.
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Anadolu Agency, 1 May 2013, Turkey-South Korea free trade deal in effect
Anadolu Agency, 3 May 2013, Call for FTA with Japan
Turkey to start clean slate with IMF
Turkish Treasury will repay the last slice of its loans to the International Monetary Fund on May 14 and will loan the Fund $5 billion, making Turkey the 23rd biggest lender in the institution.
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Anadolu Agency, 4 May 2013, Turkey to start clean slate with IMF
DOMESTIC POLITICS
Kurdish rebels confirm they will start retreat from Turkey to Iraq on Wednesday
Kurdish rebels reaffirmed on May 7 that they will start withdrawing guerrilla fighters from Turkey to bases in northern Iraq this week. A statement, carried by the pro-Kurdish Firat News agency confirmed that “a first group” of fighters will leave Turkey on Wednesday and be settled in bases in northern Iraq within a week.
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Washington Post, 7 May 2013, Kurdish rebels confirm they will start retreat from Turkey to Iraq on Wednesday
TUSIAD HIGHLIGHTS
Seminar on TTIP and its impacts on the Turkish economy
TUSIAD organized a seminar on the “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and Its Impacts on Turkish Economy” in Istanbul on May 6. Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy Cemalettin Damlacı and TUSIAD Secretary General Zafer Ali Yavan gave opening remarks.
You can find the relevant documents by following these links: Presentations; Photos; Agenda (Turkish)
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