Foreign Policy:
- Turkey no longer needs EU membership but won’t quit talks- Erdogan
- Turkey opens military base in Mogadishu to train Somali soldiers
- Russia’s Putin visits Turkey as ties between nations deepen
- Turkey rebuffs Trump, won’t send jailed pastor back
- Turkey’s Erdogan says Iraqi Kurdistan will “pay price” for vote
- Turkish measures against northern Iraq won’t target civilians, PM says
- Ankara says it does not want Barzani’s representative back in Turkey
- Russia gets ‘advance payment’ from Turkey on S-400
- Prime Minister congratulates German Chancellor Merkel over election victory
Economy and Energy:
- Turkey’s foreign trade deficit rises 85.2 pct in September: Ministry
- Turkey’s gross external debt stock climbs over half of GDP for first time since 2003
- Turkish manufacturing growth stays strong in September: Index
- Turkey’s Oyak Group looking for opportunity to return to banking
- Turkey tourism recovery no lira panacea as European tourists stay clear
- Construction costs hit long-time high in Turkey amid housing boom
- Turkey to discuss motor vehicle tax hike at Monday’s cabinet meeting- Deputy PM
- Turkish bank minister says tax hikes won’t boost economy
- Delay in business chamber elections in Turkey stirs debate
- Three new artificial lake projects to take off in Turkey’s north
- Antalya sees record high arrivals from Russia
Domestic Politics:
- Turkey: warrants issued 117 officers over failed coup
- Turkey holds security summit amid Iraq Kurdish tension
- Gov’t harmonizes six more laws in preparation for presidential system
- Turkish court releases prominent journalist Kadri Gursel from jail
Foreign Policy:
Turkey opens military base in Mogadishu to train Somali soldiers
Turkey opened its biggest overseas military base on Saturday in Somalia’s capital, cementing its ties with the volatile but strategic Muslim nation and building a presence in East Africa.
New York Times, Turkey opens military base in Mogadishu to train Somali soldiers, September 30, 2017
Turkey no longer needs EU membership but won’t quit talks- Erdogan
Turkey no longer needs to join the European Union but will not unilaterally abandon the stalled EU accession talks, President Tayyip Erdogan told parliament on Sunday.
New York Times, Turkey no longer needs EU membership but won’t quit talks- Erdogan, October 1, 2017
Russia’s Putin visits Turkey as ties between nations deepen
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Turkey on Thursday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that focused on the situation in Iraq and Syria along with bilateral trade.
Washington Post, Russia’s Putin visits Turkey as ties between nations deepen, September 28, 2017
Turkey rebuffs Trump, won’t send jailed pastor back
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkey will not deport a U.S. pastor imprisoned in Turkey while Washington refuses to extradite the Turkish cleric that Ankara believes masterminded last year’s coup attempt.
Washington Post, Turkey rebuffs Trump, won’t send jailed pastor back, September 28, 2017
Turkey’s Erdogan says Iraqi Kurdistan will “pay price” for vote
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Iraqi Kurdish authorities would pay the price for an independence referendum which was widely opposed by foreign powers.
Reuters, Turkey’s Erdogan says Iraqi Kurdistan will “pay price” for vote, September 29, 2017
Turkish measures against northern Iraq won’t target civilians, PM says
Turkey’s measures against northern Iraq will not target civilians and instead focus on those who organized the referendum on Kurdish independence, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday.
Reuters, Turkish measures against northern Iraq won’t target civilians, PM says, September 29, 2017
Ankara says it does not want Barzani’s representative back in Turkey
Turkey has asked the Ankara representative of Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Omer Merani, to not return to Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Sept. 26.
Hurriyet, Ankara says it does not want Barzani’s representative back in Turkey, September 26, 2017
Russia gets ‘advance payment’ from Turkey on S-400
Moscow has received an “advance payment” from Turkey for the S-400 missile defense system, said Vladimir Kozhin, an aide to the Russian president, on Sept. 29.
Hurriyet, Russia gets ‘advance payment’ from Turkey on S-400, September 29, 2017
Prime Minister congratulates German Chancellor Merkel over election victory
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım sent a congratulatory message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel after she was re-elected with her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany’s election on Sept. 24.
Hurriyet, Prime Minister congratulates German Chancellor Merkel over election victory, September 25, 2017
Economy and Energy:
Turkey’s foreign trade deficit rises 85.2 pct in September: Ministry
Turkey’s foreign trade deficit rose to $81.4 billion in September with an 85.2 percent year-on-year increase, according to preliminary data from the Customs and Trade Ministry.
Hurriyet, Turkey’s foreign trade deficit rises 85.2 pct in September: Ministry, October 2, 2017
Turkey’s gross external debt stock climbs over half of GDP for first time since 2003
Turkey’s gross external debt stock reached $432.4 billion at the end of June 2017, the Treasury announced Sept. 29.
Hurriyet, Turkey’s gross external debt stock climbs over half of GDP for first time since 2003, October 2, 2017
Turkish manufacturing growth stays strong in September: Index
Turkey’s manufacturing activity showed solid growth in September as increases in rates of output, new orders and employment all remained robust, despite easing from the previous month, a business survey showed on Oct. 2.
Hurriyet, Turkish manufacturing growth stays strong in September: Index, October 2, 2017
Turkey’s Oyak Group looking for opportunity to return to banking
Oyak Group, the conglomerate that manages pensions for Turkey’s military personnel and $18 billion in assets, is evaluating a return to the national banking sector, Chief Executive Officer Suleyman Savas Erdem said.
Bloomberg, Turkey’s Oyak Group looking for opportunity to return to banking, October 2, 2017
Turkey tourism recovery no lira panacea as European tourists stay clear
Anders Faergemann, a money manager at PineBridge Investments, which oversees more than $80 billion in assets, calls it the best potential boost for Turkey’s economy.
Bloomberg, Turkey tourism recovery no lira panacea as European tourists stay clear, October 2, 2017
Construction costs hit long-time high in Turkey amid housing boom
Turkey’s construction sector grew by 6.4 percent in the first half of the year, going well above the total economic growth, according to a report published by Association of Construction Material Producers (İMSAD).
Hurriyet, Construction costs hit long-time high in Turkey amid housing boom, October 1, 2017
Turkey to discuss motor vehicle tax hike at Monday’s cabinet meeting- Deputy PM
Turkey will discuss a planned motor vehicle tax hike in Monday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said, after President Tayyip Erdogan said at the weekend that the proposal would be reviewed.
Reuters, Turkey to discuss motor vehicle tax hike at Monday’s cabinet meeting- Deputy PM, October 2, 2017
Turkish bank minister says tax hikes won’t boost economy
Turkey’s economy minister said on Friday tax increases announced earlier this week would not boost the economy, after the measures announced along with the government’s medium-term plan attracted criticism.
Reuters, Turkish bank minister says tax hikes won’t boost economy, September 29, 2017
Delay in business chamber elections in Turkey stirs debate
The postponement of presidential elections in a total of 364 business chambers and commodity exchanges across Turkey through a decree law has stirred debate and uncertainty.
Hurriyet, Delay in business chamber elections in Turkey stirs debate, September 26, 2017
Three new artificial lake projects to take off in Turkey’s north
Three artificial lakes will be constructed to complement the eastern Black Sea region’s long-time popular natural stop Uzungöl in order to host the rising number of Arab tourists, Forestry and Waterworks Minister Veysel Eroğlu has said.
Hurriyet, Three new artificial lake projects to take off in Turkey’s north, September 26, 2017
Antalya sees record high arrivals from Russia
Russian tourists visiting Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Antalya hit an all-time record, reaching 3.4 million by the end of September, the local governor said on Oct. 2.
Hurriyet, Antalya sees record-high arrivals from Russia, October 2, 2017
Domestic Politics:
Turkey: warrants issued 117 officers over failed coup
Turkey’s state-run news agency says authorities have issued detention warrants for 117 military officers — most of them on active duty — as part of an ongoing investigation into last year’s failed coup attempt blamed on a U.S.-based Muslim cleric.
Washington Post, Turkey: warrants issued 117 officers over failed coup, September 29, 2017
Turkey holds security summit amid Iraq Kurdish tension
Turkey held a security meeting on Sept. 27 at the helm of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as tensions rise in the region over an Iraqi Kurdish referendum for independence.
Hurriyet, Turkey holds security summit amid Iraqi Kurdish referendum tension, September 29, 2017
Gov’t harmonizes six more laws in preparation for presidential system
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has accelerated work to amend six different laws related to elections in a bid to harmonize existing legislation for the shift to an executive presidential system, which will fully go into effect after dual elections in 2019.
Hurriyet, Gov’t harmonizes six more laws in preparation for presidential system, September 25, 2017
Turkish court releases prominent journalist Kadri Gursel from jail
An Istanbul court ordered the release of veteran journalist Kadri Gürsel on Sept. 25 in the third hearing of the case into critical Turkish daily Cumhuriyet.
Hurriyet, Turkish court releases prominent journalist Kadri Gursel from jail