Turkey Letter: November 13, 2017

 

Foreign Policy:

 

  • EU to shift Turkey membership funds to bolster judiciary
  • Turkey, France, and Italy to strengthen cooperation on missile defense: sources
  • Turkey has completed purchase of Russian missile defense: Defense Minister
  • Turkey denies report of plan to kidnap cleric Gulen from U.S.
  • Turkey premier says expects justice in U.S., not prisoner swaps
  • Turkish FM offers condolences to Iranian FM after quake
  • Turkey steps up to aid Iraq earthquake victims
  • Erdogan warns of Syrian offensive ahead of talks with Putin

 

Economy and Energy:

 

  • Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk meets Erdogan in Turkey
  • Turkey Central Bank plans FX hedge instrument for corporates
  • Turkey’s tourism earnings to reach $30 billion in 2018, minister says
  • Turkey’s automotive exports up 22 pct so far in 2017
  • Turkey’s TAI signs civil aviation deal with Russia’s Irkut

 

Domestic Politics:

 

  • Turkey detains more than 160 Islamic State suspects in Ankara
  • AKP nominates Kahraman for second term as parliament speaker
  • Erdogan holds unscheduled meeting with Turkey’s top soldier
  • Turkey working on launching first astronaut in to space

 

 

Foreign Policy:

 

EU to shift Turkey membership funds to bolster judiciary

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says he wants some of the funds earmarked for Turkey’s EU membership process to be shifted to bolster the country’s judiciary.

New York Times, EU to shift Turkey membership funds to bolster judiciary, November 8, 2017


Turkey, France, and Italy to strengthen cooperation on missile defense: sources

Turkey signed a letter of intent with France and Italy on Wednesday to strengthen cooperation on joint defense projects including air and missile defense systems, Turkish defense ministry sources said.

New York Times, Turkey, France, and Italy to strengthen cooperation on missile defense: sources, November 8, 2017


Turkey has completed purchase of Russian missile defense: Defense Minister

Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missiles has been completed but Ankara is discussing a further deal with a European consortium to help it develop its own missile defense system, Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said.

New York Times, Turkey has completed purchase of Russian missile defense: Defense Minister, November 12, 2017


Turkey denies report of plan to kidnap cleric Gulen from U.S.

Turkey has dismissed as “utterly false, ludicrous and groundless” a report that Turkish officials may have discussed paying millions of dollars to have a U.S.-based Muslim cleric kidnapped.

Washington Post, Turkey denies report of plan to kidnap cleric Gulen from U.S., November 12, 2017


Turkey premier says expects justice in U.S., not prisoner swaps

Turkey is expecting justice from the U.S., not a political arrangement to exchange prisoners held by each country, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said after a trip to Washington to meet with Vice President Mike Pence.

Bloomberg, Turkey premier says expects justice in U.S., not prisoner swaps, November 11, 2017


Turkish FM offers condolences to Iranian FM after quake

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu offered condolences to his Iranian counterpart Javaad Zarif in a phone conversation on Nov. 13 for the victims of a powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake that hit the region late on Nov. 12.

Hurriyet, Turkish FM offers condolences to Iranian FM after quake, November 13, 2017


Turkey steps up to aid Iraq earthquake victims

Turkey has stepped up to help victims of the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit Iraq late on Nov. 12 with thousands of supplies and humanitarian aid.Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım vowed that Turkey will stand with the victims of the quake, adding that a military cargo plane carrying medical aid and 250 tents was dispatched to Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq.

Hurriyet, Turkey steps up to aid Iraq earthquake victims, November 13, 2017


Erdogan warns of Syrian offensive ahead of talks with Putin

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday signaled that a Turkish military operation against Kurdish forces in the northwestern Syrian town of Afrin could be imminent, as he traveled to Russia to discuss the Syrian conflict with Vladimir Putin.

Bloomberg, Erdogan warns of Syrian offensive ahead of talks with Putin, November 13, 2017


 

Economy and Energy:

 

Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk meets Erdogan in Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday to discuss cooperation between his companies and Turkish firms, including the launch of Turkish satellites, a senior official said.

New York Times, Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk meets Erdogan in Turkey, November 8, 2017


Turkey Central Bank plans FX hedge instrument for corporates

Turkey’s central bank said Monday it would start offering a financial instrument that would allow companies with foreign currency liabilities to protect themselves against any drops in the lira.

Bloomberg, Turkey Central Bank plans FX hedge instrument for corporates, November 13, 2017


Turkey’s tourism earnings to reach $30 billion in 2018, minister says

Turkey’s crucial tourism sector should see revenues grow to $30 billion in 2018, helped by planned new incentives for tour operators and rising visitor numbers, the country’s tourism minister, Numan Kurtulmus, said on Wednesday.

Reuters, Turkey’s tourism earnings to reach $30 billion in 2018, minister says, November 8, 2017


Turkey’s automotive exports up 22 pct so far in 2017

Turkey’s automotive exports rose to 1.1 million units in the first 10 months of 2017, with a 22 percent year-on-year increase on an amount basis, mainly due to an ongoing boost in new passenger car exports, a leading sector association announced on Nov. 12.

Hurriyet, Turkey’s automotive exports up 22 pct so far in 2017, November 13, 2017


Turkey’s TAI signs civil aviation deal with Russia’s Irkut

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Russian company Irkut on a strategic cooperation venture, TAI said on Nov. 13.

Hurriyet, Turkey’s TAI signs civil aviation deal with Russia’s Irkut, November 13, 2017


 

Domestic Politics:

 

Turkey detains more than 160 Islamic State suspects in Ankara

Turkish police have detained 165 people over suspected links to Islamic State in Ankara and have arrest warrants for a total of 245 suspects in the capital and surrounding province, state-run Anadolu news agency said on Thursday.

New York Times, Turkey detains more than 160 Islamic State suspects in Ankara, November 9, 2017


AKP nominates Kahraman for second term as parliament speaker

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has nominated Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman for a second term in his position following a series of in-house consultations.

Hurriyet, AKP nominates Kahraman for second term as parliament speaker, November 13, 2017


Erdogan holds unscheduled meeting with Turkey’s top soldier

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held an unscheduled meeting with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar in Istanbul on Nov. 12. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also attended the meeting in Mabeyn Palace in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.

Hurriyet, Erdogan holds unscheduled meeting with Turkey’s top soldier, November 12, 2017


Turkey working on launching first astronaut in to space

The Turkish government is working on sending the country’s first ever astronaut into space and establishing a space agency, Science, Industry and Technology Minister Faruk Özlü has said.

Hurriyet, Turkey working on launching first astronaut in to space, November 10, 2017