Turkey policy paper: Israel's actions threaten Mideast

Ankara's National Security Council names Israel as central threat to Turkey's security for first time since 1949, fails to mention Iran, Syria.

By Haaretz Service Published 13:50 30.10.10

Turkey's already tense relations with Israel continued their apparent downward spiral on Saturday as Channel 10 reported that a central Ankara policy paper defined Israel as a central threat to Turkey's security, blaming Jerusalem's policies for destabilizing the entire region.

Tensions between Israel and Turkey peaked earlier this year, following a deadly Israeli raid aboard a Turkish aid ship sailing to Gaza in attempt to violate the Israeli naval blockade. On May 31, Israeli navy commandos boarded the Mavi Marmara and killed nine Turkish activists on board after facing violence from the passengers.

Read the whole story from Haaretz

“Strong Turkey” open Armenian-Turkish border, without preconditions

October 29, 2010 | 13:16 

 Chairman of the “Strong Turkey” Tuna Beklevic is dissatisfied with the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s indifferent attitude.

"Arriving in Yerevan, we were hoping to have a cup of tea or coffee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and to chat, but it did not happen," - noted Beklevic with regret, hinting at the same time that the MFA can fill this “gap” until tomorrow morning.

"Yesterday’s statement by Foreign Minister regarding our visit saddened us and broke our hearts. This is our third visit already; we arrived with purpose of the opening of the border and the strengthening of relations between the two nations. This is somewhat a community effort. Neither the Turkish Government has sent us here, nor has the Armenian government invited us. We are not obliged to listen to the Turkish or Armenian governments. We consider our visit joint efforts of the Armenian and Turkish youth. This is a visit of Peace and Friendship”- said Beklevic, expressing  hope that one day they will sit at a table with the Armenian Government  and drink tea or coffee together.

Read the whole story from News.am

Turkey's military shun reception with first lady

By Alexandra Hudson

ISTANBUL | Sat Oct 30, 2010 1:14am IST

(Reuters) - Turkey's staunchly secularist military shunned the President's Republic Day reception on Friday night, attended for the first time by his headscarf-wearing wife, in a snub to the country's pious rulers.

In the past President Abdullah Gul had given two separate parties, pandering to secularist sensitivities by conducting the higher-profile evening affair without his spouse, but this year he held just one event, which she co-hosted.

The military held a separate party, Turkish media reported, demonstrating the lingering divide between the secularist old guard and the rising class of conservative Muslims, epitomised by Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

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Turkey's relationship with west on the line in European missile defence negotiations

By Praveen Swami, Diplomatic Editor

Published: 9:00PM BST 29 Oct 2010

Turkey's government has been told that its relationship with the West could be seriously damaged if it rejects Nato's request to house part of a £165 million ballistic missile-defence shield that is being built to protect Europe from nuclear attack."


Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state and Robert Gates, the US secretary of defence, have held out the warning in behind-the-scenes talks with Turkish officials ahead of a Nato summit to be held in Lisbon on November 19, where a final decision is expected to be made on the missile-defence plan.


"Essentially we've told Turkey that missile-defence is an acid test of its commitment to the collective security arrangements it has with its western allies," a senior US official told The Daily Telegraph.

Read more from The Daily Telegraph

Turkey in Dilemma Over NATO Shield

By MARC CHAMPION | OCTOBER 27, 2010 

ISTANBUL—Turkey's top security body is set to discuss Wednesday whether to back a U.S.-led plan to build a missile-defense shield against rogue states—a moment that could force Ankara to choose between its longstanding westward orientation and its recent courtship of Iran.

The National Security Council, which consists of top military commanders and political leaders, is expected to debate the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's proposal for a defense shield largely built and funded by the U.S. A senior Turkish diplomat said Ankara will have to decide its position before next month's summit of the 28-nation alliance in Lisbon, Portugal, where Turkey and other NATO members are due to decide whether to go ahead with the plan.

Read more from WSJ

Turkey's Trade Deficit Widens

By JOE PARKINSON | OCTOBER 27, 2010

ISTANBUL—Turkey's trade deficit widened almost 70% on the year in September to $6.7 billion, data showed Wednesday, marking the fastest expansion since April and stoking concerns that the emerging market's structural imbalance could pose a longer-term threat to growth.

According to figures released Wednesday by the official statistics agency Turkstat, September's $25 billion of imports rose five times as fast as exports, underscoring the powerful impact of domestic demand in an economy that's expected to expand 6.8% this year, after tying China for the fastest growth in the Group of 20 in the second quarter, at 10.3%.

Read from WSJ

Turkey kinda underperforms according to Legatum Prosperity Index

by me a.k.a mutecessisgozler

Legatum Prosperity Index, which defines itself as the world's only global assessment of wealth and wellbeing, reveals that Turkey underperforms (literally sucks) according to some wealth and wellbeing criteria. 


Of course these findings reveal nothing new. Even though the economic activity within the country has increased enormously in the last 7-8 years, It is not a secret that the distribution of wealth has got worse than ever. Without fighting against a strong left-leaning party in Turkey, because there is not any, the governing party AKP undermines the social state in Turkey by trimming further the equality of opportunity and distribution of wealth. 

To have a look at the study, please click here. 

For the PDF version, please click here.

Headscarf debate in Turkey: No one has to worry

By Kai Strittmatter, Istanbul 

Turks are fed up with the fight over headscarf. Now President Gül invites for the first time the military representatives and prominent women with head scarves to a common official reception- a historic confrontation.  

Two out of the three women in Turkey wear head scarves, while this country, compared to all other European countries, has for decades the strictest ban on headscarf. Gradually, however, this is getting less strict- and almost nobody is getting upset about it. On this Friday, the anniversary of the foundation of the republic, Turkey overcomes another battle in headscarf dispute. President Gül invites the military leaders and prominent women with head scarves, among whom is his wife Hayrünnisa Gül, to the traditional reception. 

Read More from Süddeutsche in German