1. a group of osce representatives will monitor on Wednesday the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops at the border between the two countries, the Armenian Defense Ministry's press service has sai

8. Turkey to probe Gaza sail

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3906348,00.html

The committee will evaluate the "legal aspects of the operation, in accordance with national and international law," the ministry announced. (AFP)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3906268,00.html

"The Turkish army has a great need to acquire S-300 and S-400 missile systems," RIA quoted Rosoboronexport director Anatoly Isaikin as saying, referring to two Russian missiles

English.news.cn   2010-06-16 23:16:56     FeedbackPrintRSS

ISTANBUL, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan said here on Wednesday that Turkish government would react harshly to Israel if Turkish companies face any problem following the crisis in the two countries relationship.

Turkey would react harshly to Israel if Turkish companies face any problem following the crisis in Turkish-Israeli relations, warned the minister.

During business talks taking place in Istanbul World Trade Center within the scope of "Turkey-World Trade Bridge 2010," Zafer Caglayan said political relations and commercial ties should be considered different than each other, adding that Turkey would not allow boycott of Turkish goods or halt of Turkish firms' operations in Israel.

Caglayan's remarks came as a response to recent reports that an Israeli court ordered an injunction on bank accounts of a Turkish construction company, Yilmazlar Group, which said the court decision was political due to the recent crisis following the Israeli raid on Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid ship.

According to the semi-official Anatolia news agency, an executive of Yilmazlar, one of the leading construction firms in Israel, said on Tuesday that Tel Aviv enforcement court ordered an injunction on its 10 million U.S. dollars receivables from four companies.

Yilmazlar said justification of the court's decision included an expression that the company's operation in Israel could be blocked because of the crisis which it said was created by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"We have asked information from the Israeli government," Caglayan said, adding if the Israeli court order was an action taken after the aid flotilla incident, Turkey's reaction would be very harsh.

11. Turkey to open tender for third bridge over Bosphorus strait
English.news.cn   2010-06-16 23:03:53     FeedbackPrintRSS
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-06/16/c_13353396.htm

ISTANBUL, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish government plans to call for a tender for the construction of the third intercontinental bridge over the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, a high-ranking government official said here on Wednesday.

Transport Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters in Istanbul that "the construction work may begin as early as next year if a tender is decided and all things go well."

The government unveiled in April the route for the 1,275-meter suspension bridge which will be built on the northern part of the strait, close to the Black Sea.

The bridge is expected to cost some 6 billion U.S. dollars and will connect Northern Marmara Highway with Trans European Motorway.

Istanbul's first bridge over Bosphorus strait was the Bosphorus (Bogazici) Bridge, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge. The 1, 510-meter gravity anchored suspension bridge is located between Ortakoy on the European side and Beylerbeyi on the Asian side and it was built in 1973.

In 1988, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Istanbul's second bridge named after the 15th century Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, was completed.

12. Israel court decision hits Turkish company

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

ISTANBUL - Daily News with wires

Yılmazlar is not thinking of pulling out of Israel despite 'a political decision that has nothing to do with the company,' according to Ahmet Reyiz Yılmaz, the chairman of Yılmazlar Holding. AA photo

Yılmazlar is not thinking of pulling out of Israel despite 'a political decision that has nothing to do with the company,' according to Ahmet Reyiz Yılmaz, the chairman of Yılmazlar Holding. AA photo

Days after two Israeli supermarket chains decided to boycott Turkish products, an Israeli claims a court froze receivables of a Turkish conglomerate in an unprecedented decision that was called “unlawfulness” by a top company executive.

In a press statement on Tuesday, Ahmet Arık, the managing director in Israel of Yılmazlar Holding, said a Tel Aviv court froze around $10 million in receivables, money which the company was owed by four Israeli companies after a 2001 construction project.

“This is totally unlawful and political,” Arık said. “The reason for the decision was stated as ‘the tension created by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.’ Such a thing can be seen nowhere in the world. This development could be an example and hurt the company to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. We request the prime minister to demand an explanation from Israel and do the same against Israeli companies active in Turkey.”

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara on Wednesday, Ahmet Reyiz Yılmaz, the chairman of Yılmazlar Holding, said the decision is “a first in the world’s political and commercial history,” according to Anatolia news agency.

“Our accounts were frozen due to something that has nothing to do with our company. We will fight. The Israeli judge will reevaluate the decision on Sunday,” Yılmaz told journalists.

Yılmaz said Israeli-Turkey relations have been on a freefall since Prime Minister Erdoğan stormed out of a panel meeting during the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 29 last year. “Since then, the Israeli government has already been implementing various sanctions against Turkish companies active in Israel,” Yılmaz said. “One of these is the ‘poll tax’ that is being extracted from Turks only against a bilateral agreement between the two countries. There is also a quota implemented on Turkish labor that companies wish to employ in their projects.”

The May 31 Israeli assault on a Turkish aid ship, which resulted in the killings of eight Turks and one U.S. citizen of Turkish descent has been the last straw, the chairman added. “Three days later, the Israeli company Mishab sued us on grounds that one of the six buildings we delivered in 2001 was leaking plaster from its ceiling.”

According to Yılmaz, the lawsuit said Mishab did not think Yılmazlar would be able to continue its activities in Israel due to the May 31 incident and requested a freeze on the company’s assets as the Israeli firm was worried it would not be able to get its receivables from Yılmazlar.

A political decision

“We could not understand why this decision included words by the prime minister or paragraphs about the Mavi Marmara ship,” Yılmaz said. “This is a political decision.

“We expect a statement from the prime minister, we expect him to stand by our side,” he said. “Until today, we have called the prime minister three, four times, but could not get a reply. This fight was started by the prime minister. Our trade has no relation to this. But though we are at a loss, we are defending our prime minister. We expect the same from the prime minister and the government.”

The company has launched a $6 million civil suit for damages, while launching another lawsuit against the Israeli government, Yılmaz said. “Until Sunday, they have frozen our accounts and receivables,” he said. “We are waiting for a step from the prime minister in this period.”

Yılmazlar is not thinking of pulling out of Israel despite this development, he said.

The first government response on the issue came from State Minister Zafer Çağlayan. Speaking at a conference in Istanbul, Çağlayan said the government has contacted Yılmazlar and requested information from the Israeli side. “If indeed the issue is about [the May 31 attack] Turkey will have a harsh response to this. I hope Israel realizes this,” he said.

According to a story on Monday by Haaretz newspaper, two local supermarket chains in Israel, namely the Blue Square firm and Rami Levy, decided to boycott some Turkish goods.

13. Turkey considers downgrading its representation in Israel

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Despite public expectations for a strong reaction, the Turkish government will be cautious in implementing measures against Israel if Tel Aviv fails to issue a formal apology over its deadly flotilla raid, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

“It’s always easy to ruin relations, and it’s always difficult to repair them. We are at the moment analyzing the possible negative effects of the proposed measures,” Turkish diplomatic sources told a group of journalists Wednesday.

A road map has been prepared, they said, that lists some measures that could be implemented – including downgrading Turkish representation in Tel Aviv to the level of chargé d’affair – if Israel does not respond positively to Ankara’s expectations.

These expectations include a formal apology, compensation for victims on the aid ship Mavi Marmara, the return of the three Turkish ships in the flotilla, the establishment of an impartial inquiry commission into the incident and the removal of the Gaza blockade. Turkish diplomats said, however, that the only one of these conditions Israel will likely accept is to return the ships.

“We have heard that they will return the ships after they are unloaded,” diplomatic sources said.

Ties between Turkey and Israel have been gravely damaged following a raid by Israeli troops on a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid. The killing of eight Turkish citizens and one U.S. citizen of Turkish descent caused shock in the country and the recall of the Turkish ambassador from Tel Aviv.

Further steps, potentially including the cancellation of military and defense agreements with Israel, the suspension of ongoing economic and energy projects and the cutting of diplomatic ties, seem unavoidable if Israel does not respond to Turkey’s demands.

“We are now assessing these steps legally and politically. Can we annul the signed agreements? If we do this – especially for defense and military deals, as they also concern the Turkish Armed Forces – would it also hurt our interests?” diplomatic sources said at the meeting Wednesday.

Turkey and Israel signed two important military deals in the mid-90s, one on defense-industry cooperation and the other on military cooperation. Since then, military-defense ties have grown so much that Israel nearly became Turkey’s number-one arms supplier.

“We have imported a lot of know-how from Israel. We should look into whether cutting ties would also hurt us,” diplomatic sources said.

On the political field, the most obvious reaction to be shown against Israel would be reducing diplomatic representation to the level of chargé d’affair, which would not be upgraded for some time. At the beginning of the 1980s, Turkey did the same after Israel’s occupation of Lebanon, and it took nearly a decade to appoint an ambassador to Tel Aviv.
14. Erdogan and Hezbollah leader expected to pay mutual visits

June 16, 2010 - 16:49 AMT  11:49 GMT

Paris, 16 June: Turkey has a need to purchase Russian S-300 and S-400 air defence missile systems and Russia is ready to take part in the relevant tender, director-general of FGUP [Federal State Unitary Enterprise] Rosoboronexport Anatoliy Isaykin told RIA Novosti on Wednesday [16 June].

"The Turkish army has a great need to buy S-300 and S-400 long-range air defence missile systems. Russia has expressed willingness to take part in a tender to supply these systems," Isaykin said.

"Time will show how the tender goes. Leading producers of these systems from Western countries will take part in it (the tender) along with Russia," he added. [Passage omitted]

Bishkek: Turkey's Special Envoy to Kyrgyzstan met with Roza Otunbayeva, the prime minister of the interim government of Kyrgyzstan, in Bishkek on Wednesday [16 June].

Fatih Ceylan and Otunbayeva discussed recent developments in Kyrgyzstan and bilateral relations.

Ceylan is expected to meet with Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atanbayev following his meeting with Otunbayeva.

Ceylan and the accompanying delegation will continue talks till June 18.

Riots killed 176 people and injured 1,800 others in Kyrgyz provinces of Osh and Jalalabad since violence erupted in this country on June 11.

Turkey sent planes to Kyrgyzstan and brought back Turkish citizens living in this country.

Source: Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English 0847 gmt 16 Jun 10

BBC Mon Alert EU1 EuroPol FS1 FsuPol ds

17. Turkish-Israeli agreements not discussed at 15 Jun talks - defence minister

Text of report in English by Turkish semi-official news agency Anatolia on 16 June

Ankara: The Defence Industry Executive Committee decided Tuesday [15 June] to procure nine additional attack helicopters for the Turkish Land Forces and to lower the number of general purpose helicopters to be procured from 123 to 109.

The committee decided to procure cargo helicopters from the United States for Turkish Land Forces and Special Forces.

In a meeting held in Ankara on Tuesday, the committee decided to urgently procure attack helicopters and develop helicopters that could be used for training purposes.

The committee revised the number of general purpose helicopters to be procured.

The Defence Industry Executive Committee convened in Ankara on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish Minister of National Defence Vecdi Gonul said that there was no tender agreement between the governments of Turkey and Israel.

Minister Gonul answered the questions of the press following the meeting of the Committee.

Asked if Turkey cancelled defence agreements with Israel, Minister Gonul said that there was no such item on the meeting's agenda.

We did not discuss such agreements, Gonul stressed.

In reference to a question on the use of Heron drones, Gonul said that there was no problem regarding the use of Heron drones.

In response to questions on cancellation of tenders with Israel, Minister Gonul said that tenders and agreements were two different things.

The agreements get prepared by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), approved or disapproved by the Council of Ministers and ratified by the Turkish Parliament, Gonul noted.

Minister Gonul said that there were no tender agreements between the governments of Turkey and Israel.

We are in the final stages of most commercial agreements with Israel. The most important agreement was the one on unmanned aerial aircraft and we are about to conclude the terms of this agreement. Agreements between companies is a different thing, Gonul said.

Asked if any restraints have been placed on interactions between Turkish and Israeli companies, Minister Gonul said that interaction between companies was subject to special laws and that this issue was out of the jurisdiction of the Defence Industry Executive Committee.

In reference to a question on four Heron drones from Israel, Gonul said Turkish engineers would travel to Israel to test and take delivery of unmanned aerial aircraft.

Minister Gonul said that the Committee decided to procure cargo helicopters from the US for Turkish Land Forces and Special Forces.

Gonul underlined that the committee decided to procure nine additional attack helicopters for the Turkish Land Forces.

The committee decided to develop training helicopters for the Turkish Land Forces. The committee also decided to develop general purpose helicopters to meet the needs of the Turkish public and private sector under the guidance of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), Gonul said.

Minister Gonul said that US aerospace and defence industry company Sikorsky and Italian defence industry company AgustaWestland were competing against each other in an effort to supply general purpose helicopters to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

According to Gonul, the number of low altitude air defence missile systems that would be procured could go as high as 27.

Ergun met with Saudi Arabian Minister for Commerce & Industry Abdallah bin Zeynal Ali Reza in northwestern province of Kocaeli on Wednesday

Turkish Industry & Trade Minister Nihat Ergun met with Saudi Arabian Minister for Commerce & Industry Abdallah bin Zeynal Ali Reza in northwestern province of Kocaeli on Wednesday.

Ergun and Reza confirmed that there are good commercial relations between the two countries.

Ergun said that Turkey's trade volume with Saudi Arabia amounted to 5 billion U.S. dollars in the past years, but the figure dropped to 4 billion U.S. dollars in 2009 due to global economic crisis.

Machinery, mining, construction and tourism are among sectors in which the two countries can cooperate, he said.

Ergun said, "Mr. Reza told us that Turkish companies could make investments in bus and truck manufacturing in Saudi Arabia, because Turkey is one of the leading countries in the automotive sector."

"We also discussed the potential in agriculture, livestock and tourism areas between Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the meeting," he added.

19. Presidential advisor says Turkey eager to attract Gulf countries' investments

Text of report in English by Turkish semi-official news agency Anatolia on 16 June

Isparta: The Turkish president's chief adviser on issues related to the Middle East said on Wednesday that Turkey was eager to attract the investments carried out by Gulf countries in Europe.

Speaking to AA, Turkish President Abdullah Gul's Chief Adviser on the Middle East Ersat Hurmuzlu said the president's office had recently launched a promotion campaign to show the world that Turkey was a country of opportunities.

Pointing to the investments carried out by the Gulf region nowadays, Hurmuzlu said Turkish officials had informed the ambassadors of six Gulf countries on the investment opportunities in Turkey.

"Gulf countries carry out numerous investments worth billions US dollars in foreign countries, particularly in eastern Europe. We would like to change the course of these investments from Europe to Turkey," the adviser said.

Arab countries' interest in Turkey had grown in the recent term, Hurmuzlu said. "The stability in Turkey increased such interest, however, it is not sufficient. That's why we are carrying out studies to stimulate investments in Turkey."

Hurmuzlu also said that Arab countries were particularly interested in agriculture and tourism sectors, and Turkey was an ideal country in both areas.

Source: Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English 0840 gmt 16 Jun 10

BBC Mon EU1 EuroPol ME1 MEPol ds

20. PKK: 23 attacks made on Turkish forces within 15 days

http://www.xendan.org/dreja.aspx?=hewal&jmara=10165&Jor=1

Kurdish Xandan Newspaper:  PKK announced that it has made 23 attacks on the Turkish forces and Turkish army has made 21 attacks on the Guerillas .

The military wing of the  PKK, HPG, (People's Defense Forces), said in a statement that 45 Turkish solders killed  and 12 PKK fighters killed in the clashed with Turkish army. HPG say that it has given a blow to the Turkish army in the last 15 days, since the breaking of its one sided cease-fire. 

21. Turkish-Arab businessmen association denies "axis shift" in Ankara's policy

Text of report in English by Turkish semi-official news agency Anatolia on 16 June

Mersin/Adana/Hatay: Turkish businessmen from Turkey's eastern Mediterranean region have declared that Turkey's growing cooperation with the Arab world should not be perceived as a shift in the country's axis.

In an interview with AA [Anatolia Agency], the head of Turkish-Arab Businessmen's Association (TURAB), Dogan Narin, said Wednesday [16 June] that certain circles perceived Turkey's getting closer with Arab countries as an "axis shift" and a divergence from the European Union (EU).

Noting it was quite a wrong interpretation, Narin said studies aiming at Turkey's EU membership continued without any interruption, adding that officials would never give up Turkey's EU bid.

"However, as these studies continue, we cannot be indifferent to the developments in the world. Turkey will continue to integrate with the world and improve its dialogues," Narin said.

"We are doing what the EU-member countries did in the past. We are improving our dialogue with all parts of the world," he also said.

Pointing to the significance of Turkey's geopolitical position, Narin noted that Turkey could not neglect its relations with Arab countries due to such position, adding that discussions on "axis shift" were completely political.

Speaking to AA, chairman Suleyman Onatca of Federation of Associations of Businessmen and Industrialists of East Mediterranean (DASIFED) also said that Turkey's face was turned towards both the West and the Middle East.

"We are a developing and growing country. Therefore, we do not have the chance to select our customers. We have to sell our products to all countries. Both Europe and the Middle East are ideal markets for us," Onatca said.

Commenting on the same issue, a board member of Union of Turkish Chambers & Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Mehmet Ali Kuseyri, noted that Turkey's old brotherhood ties with Arab countries had recently turned into an economic advantage.

"I believe such economic cooperation would yield to more positive results in the upcoming period," Kuseyri said.

Source: Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English 0807 gmt 16 Jun 10