Foreign Policy:
- Erdogan, on a landmark visit to Greece, sets diplomacy aside
- Greece, Turkey agree to launch confidence building measures
- Turkey congratulates Iraq on victory over ISIL
- Erdogan: New York trial US conspiracy against Turkey
- Turkey demands extradition of coup plotters from Greece
- Turkey could break ties with Israel over Jerusalem- Erdogan
- Turkey, EU ‘look to build better ties’
- Erdogan says Turkey will destroy those in Syria linked to Kurdish militants
- Israel is a terror state and Arab leaders must act: Erdogan
Economy and Energy:
- Top business group TUSIAD: Turkey should be normalized
- Turkish economic growth jumps to 11.1 pct, hitting highest quarterly growth since 2011
- Turkey’s 11% economic growth fuels expectation of rate hike
- Turkey’s economy has outgrown stimulus program
- Turkey’s current account gap widens in October
- Number of Turkish Airlines passengers rises 8.3 pct
- Turk Telekom to take hard line on spending, CEO says
Domestic Politics:
- Jailed pro-Kurdish party leader’s trial opens in Turkey
- Turkey investigates report that folk dancers sought asylum
- Iyi Party leader Aksener confident about beating election threshold
- Turkey to ban carcinogenic, allergenic materials in products, impose limits on certain chemicals
- CHP head files criminal complaint against Interior Minister over insults
Foreign Policy:
Erdogan, on a landmark visit to Greece, sets diplomacy aside
Turkey’s president made a landmark visit to Greece on Thursday, but any expectation for diplomacy was quickly deflated by his call for changes to an international treaty that defines the borders between the rivals.
New York Times, Erdogan, on a landmark visit to Greece, sets diplomacy aside, December 7, 2017
Greece, Turkey agree to launch confidence building measures
Greece and Turkey have agreed to launch “confidence building measures” under their supervision, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday during a visit by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to Athens.
New York Times, Greece, Turkey agree to launch confidence building measures, December 7, 2017
Erdogan: New York trial US conspiracy against Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is calling the New York trial of a Turkish banker a U.S. conspiracy being staged to “blackmail” and “blemish” his country.
Washington Post, Erdogan: New York trial US conspiracy against Turkey, December 5, 2017
Turkey congratulates Iraq on victory over ISIL
Turkey on Dec. 10 congratulated Iraq for its victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).According to a statement issued late on Dec. 10, the Turkish Foreign Ministry extended condolences for Iraqi citizens who lost their lives during the war against ISIL.
Hurriyet, Turkey congratulates Iraq on victory over ISIL, December 11, 2017
Turkey demands extradition of coup plotters from Greece
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday demanded the extradition of suspected coup plotters from Greece, referring to eight soldiers who flew to northern Greece during the failed putsch last year.
New York Times, Turkey demands extradition of coup plotters from Greece, December 7, 2017
Turkey could break ties with Israel over Jerusalem- Erdogan
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey could go as far as breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel if the United States formally recognises Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move he said would be a “red line” for Muslims.
New York Times, Turkey could break ties with Israel over Jerusalem- Erdogan, December 5, 2017
Turkey, EU ‘look to build better ties’
Senior officials from Turkey and the EU held a high-level Economic Dialogue meeting on Dec. 8, saying they seek to improve ties, boost economic performance, and resolve major common issues after a rocky period in relations.
Hurriyet, Turkey, EU ‘look to build better ties’, December 8, 2017
Erdogan says Turkey will destroy those in Syria linked to Kurdish militants
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey will “very soon completely destroy” those in Syria linked to Kurdish militants.
Reuters, Erdogan says Turkey will destroy those in Syria linked to Kurdish militants, December 5, 2017
Israel is a terror state and Arab leaders must act: Erdogan
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described Israel as a “terror state,” while urging leaders of Arab countries to act following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Hurriyet, Israel is a terror state and Arab leaders must act: Erdogan, December 11, 2017
Economy and Energy:
Top business group TUSIAD: Turkey should be normalized
Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) High Advisory Board Chair Tuncay Özilhan has urged for a “normalization” in the country and a “revision” of state of emergency conditions, stating that Turkey’s recent record on democracy is having a negative effect on investments and the economy.
Hurriyet, Top business group TUSIAD: Turkey should be normalized, December 7, 2017
Turkish economic growth jumps to 11.1 pct, hitting highest quarterly growth since 2011
Turkey’s gross domestic product grew at a blistering 11.1 percent in the third quarter, hitting its fastest expansion in six years, data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK) showed on Dec. 11.
Hurriyet, Turkish economic growth jumps to 11.1 pct, hitting highest quarterly growth since 2011, December 11, 2017
Turkey’s 11% economic growth fuels expectation of rate hike
Turkey’s economy grew faster in the third quarter than any other of the world’s 20 biggest economies as household spending and exports surged, stoking expectations that the central bank will increase borrowing costs to curb inflation.
Bloomberg, Turkey’s 11% economic growth fuels expectation of rate hike, December 11, 2017
Turkey’s economy has outgrown stimulus program
Turkey’s economy is “back on its feet” and no longer needs the stimulus program introduced after last year’s failed coup, a senior adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the latest data showed unexpectedly strong growth.
Bloomberg, Turkey’s economy has outgrown stimulus program, December 11, 2017
Turkey’s current account gap widens in October
Turkey ran a current account deficit of $3.8 billion in October, indicating an increase of almost $2.2 billion year-on-year, the Central Bank stated on Dec. 11.
Hurriyet, Turkey’s current account gap widens in October, December 11, 2017
Number of Turkish Airlines passengers rises 8.3 pct
The total number of passengers Turkish Airlines carried from Jan-Nov rose 8.3 percent, compared to the same period last year, Turkey’s flag-carrier has said
Hurriyet, Number of Turkish Airlines passengers rises 8.3 pct, December 9, 2017
Turk Telekom to take hard line on spending, CEO says
Türk Telekom has no plans to take on new debt and aims to keep capex spending to a minimum under a new five-year strategy, its chief executive told Reuters, as it focuses on paying out dividends.
Hurriyet, Turk Telekom to take hard line on spending, CEO says, December 8, 2017
Domestic Politics:
Jailed pro-Kurdish party leader’s trial opens in Turkey
A trial against the imprisoned leader of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party on terror charges has opened in the Turkish capital. Prosecutors are seeking a total of 142 years in prison for Selahattin Demirtas, the co-chairman of the Peoples’ Democracy Party — or HDP. He is charged with leading a terror organization, engaging in terror propaganda and other crimes.
New York Times, Jailed pro-Kurdish party leader’s trial opens in Turkey, December 7, 2017
Iyi Party leader Aksener confident about beating election threshold
İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener has said Turkey’s 10 percent election threshold is no concern for her newly founded movement, adding that she did not expect the lowering of the threshold.
Hurriyet, Iyi Party leader Aksener confident about beating election threshold, December 11, 2017
Turkey investigates report that folk dancers sought asylum
Turkey is investigating reports that 11 Turkish folk dancers applied for asylum after attending a folk dance festival in the Hungarian capital Budapest, state-run news agency Anadolu said.
Reuters, Turkey investigates report that folk dancers sought asylum, December 5, 2017
Turkey to ban carcinogenic, allergenic materials in products, impose limits on certain chemicals
Turkey will enforce a ban on carcinogenic and allergenic materials in a wide range of products starting from Dec. 23.The ban prohibits the use of certain materials in dozens of items, including shoes, bags, accessories, watches, diapers, detergents, air fresheners, child care and textile products and cleaning materials.
Hurriyet, Turkey to ban carcinogenic, allergenic materials in products, impose limits on certain chemicals, December 11, 2017
CHP head files criminal complaint against Interior Minister over insults
Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has filed a criminal complaint against Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu over “threatening and insulting remarks.”
Hurriyet, CHP head files criminal complaint against Interior Minister over insults, December 11, 2017