This week:
Foreign Policy
- Turkey reshuffles envoys in Washington, London and Paris
- Ankara suspected of arming jihadists in Syria
- The EU and the US saw the deviation of the ruling AKP too late, Turkish journalist says
Domestic Politics
- Turkish Truck Mystery Adds New Front to Political Crisis
- Turkey’s Erdogan says not opposed to military coup plot retrials
- Turkey’s Military Moves Against Coup Cases as Judiciary Fights Government
- Turkey’s top boss wishes ‘steps toward rule of law’ in New Year message
- Turkey’s Democratic Institutions Besieged
- TUSIAD President Muharrem Yilmaz’s Milliyet Interview
Economy/Energy
- Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey — 2014 Outlook
- Turkey’s lira hits record low on graft probe, Fed tapering
Foreign Policy
Turkey reshuffles envoys in Washington, London and Paris
A major reshuffle of Turkey’s most important diplomatic posts has taken effect with two former ambassadors to Japan, Serdar Kılıç and Abdurrahman Bilgiç, being posted as Turkey’s envoys to the United States and the United Kingdom respectively.
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Hurriyet Daily News, 6 January 2014, Turkey reshuffles envoys in Washington, London and Paris
Ankara suspected of arming jihadists in Syria
Syria’s ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, claimed in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, which was released to the press on Jan. 1, “Turkish authorities are systematically offering help in supplying arms to terrorists operating in a number of districts [in Syria].”
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Al-Monitor, 3 January 2014, Ankara suspected of arming jihadists in Syria
The EU and the US saw the deviation of the ruling AKP too late, Turkish journalist says
The West failed to detect the changes that surfaced during the second tenure of the AKP government after 2007, according to journalist Sedat Ergin. As Europeans and Americans had blinkers, they were unable to see the steps that were incompatible with the values of liberal democracy, says Ergin.
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Hurriyet Daily News, 6 January 2014, The EU and the US saw the deviation of the ruling AKP too late, Turkish journalist says
Domestic Politics
Turkish Truck Mystery Adds New Front to Political Crisis
The curious case of a Turkish aid truck stopped this week by military police near the Syrian border suggests that a power struggle among factions of Turkey’s ruling party has gravitated to an important new front; Ankara’s Syria policy.
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Wall Street Journal, 3 January 2014, Turkish Truck Mystery Adds New Front to Political Crisis
Turkey’s Erdogan says not opposed to military coup plot retrials
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said he would not oppose the retrial of hundreds of military officers convicted on coup plot charges, a case that underlined civilian dominance over a once all-powerful army.
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Reuters, 6 January 2014, Turkey’s Erdogan says not opposed to military coup plot retrials
Turkey’s Military Moves Against Coup Cases as Judiciary Fights Government
Turkey’s military filed a criminal complaint against coup-plot trials that jailed its generals, opening a new front against a hobbled judiciary as it fights government efforts to curb its powers.
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Wall Street Journal, 2 January 2014, Turkey’s Military Moves Against Coup Cases as Judiciary Fights Government
Turkey’s top boss wishes ‘steps toward rule of law’ in New Year message
The head of Turkey’s leading business organization, TUSIAD, reasserted his urge for the maintenance rule of law in the country in his New Year’s message.
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Hurriyet Daily News, 1 January 2014, Turkey’s top boss wishes ‘steps toward rule of law’ in New Year message
Turkey’s Democratic Institutions Besieged
The probe has revealed the sad state of Turkish institutions as have been hijacked by the power struggle between two former political allies: Erdoğan and Fetullah Gülen, the exiled leader of an influential religious movement, writes Kemal Kirişci of the Brookings Institution.
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Brookings, 3 January 2013, Turkey’s Democratic Institutions Besieged
TUSIAD President Muharrem Yilmaz’s Milliyet Interview
In an interview with Milliyet, TUSIAD President Muharrem Yilmaz urged authorities to take steps that would restore the credibility of the state and inject confidence in markets. Yilmaz called on officials to resume the reform process and said, “Economic performance can only be maintained with democratic performance.” Yilmaz said concrete steps must be taken on corruption charges to address the concerns of society.
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Milliyet, January 5, 2014,
Economy/Energy
Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey — 2014 Outlook
Turkey’s central bank faces mounting challenges in 2014 as policy makers try to slow inflation, bolster economic growth and plug external funding gaps.
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Wall Street Journal, 6 January 2014, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey — 2014 Outlook
Turkey’s lira hits record low on graft probe, Fed tapering
Turkey’s lira hit a new record low against the dollar on 6 January, dampened by investor caution over a corruption investigation, concern about China’s growth outlook and U.S. Federal Reserve stimulus reduction.
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Reuters, 6 January 2014, Turkey’s lira hits record low on graft probe, Fed tapering
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