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Friday, 19 April 2024
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Turkish Press Review, 07-12-10Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Turkish Directorate General of Press and Information <http://www.byegm.gov.tr>Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning10.12.2007FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS ...CONTENTS
[01] ERDOGAN OPENS NEW AIRPORT IN HATAYPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended the inauguration of a new airport in the southern province of Hatay. "When everything has settled from the latest passing issue, what remains are the services provided," he said. "Every opening of a new facility means providing service to the Turkish people, who deserve the best." He added, "Before this July’s elections, I made a promise to thousands of people in Hatay that I would soon visit this province. Today, I am pleased to fulfill that promise.” Erdogan later proceeded to the Cilvegozu border crossing, where he is set to inaugurate a new service building at the Turkish-Syrian border. /Sabah/[02] PARLIAMENT SPEAKER VISITS KUWAITParliament Speaker Koksal Toptan yesterday called on Kuwaiti businessmen to invite in Turkey. On the second day of his visit to Kuwait, Toptan met with Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah and thanked him for Kuwait’s support for Turkey on international issues, especially Cyprus. “I invite Kuwaitis to invest in Turkey, especially in the health and tourism sectors, ” said Toptan. /Turkiye/[03] DEPUTY PM: “OUR GREATEST WISH IS THAT TURKS LIVE SAFELY, FREE FROM DISCRIMINATION”In a message marking World Human Rights Day, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek yesterday said that the government sees human rights as an indispensable element of Turkey’s development and democratization. “Our greatest wish is that Turkish citizens live in their own country without fear or uneasiness, without being subjected to discrimination, and happily and safely as first-class citizens,” said Cicek. “We are making great efforts towards this end.” /Turkiye/[04] AHMEDINEJAD DUE TO VISIT TURKEYForeign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini yesterday said that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has plans to visit Turkey, but that the exact date of his trip has not yet been set. /Hurriyet/FROM THE COLUMNS...FROM THE COLUMNS... FROM THE COLUMNS ... [05] OPENING OUTSIDE, CLOSING INSIDEBY ERDAL SAFAK (SABAH)Columnist Erdal Safak comments on Africa’s colonial era and Turkey’s relations with the EU. A summary of his column is as follows: “Turkey is undergoing a strange process. During a time when people are retreating into themselves more and more each day due to their anti- Westernism, they’re being ruled by a government whose openness is unprecedented in the history of the republic. Fortunately, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his team aren’t being influenced by these winds, which might push Turkey into dangerous waters. As part of the government’s policy to bring Turkey to the level that it deserves everywhere and on every continent, Erdogan and Foreign Minister Babacan attended the Second European-African Summit last weekend in Lisbon, where European Union Term President Portugal managed to bring together 53 African and 28 European countries. The first European-African Summit was held in Cairo in 2000, also during Portugal’s EU term presidency. It was decided there that these meetings would become regular, with the next one to be held in 2003. But this couldn’t be done due to problems in Zimbabwe. At that time, dictator Robert Mugabe started to show his true face; he was arresting opponents and even having them murdered, seizing the property of whites, and using his racist xenophobic rhetoric to try to make people forget the skyrocketing unemployment (82 percent), hunger, and inflation (6,000 percant). But Portugal didn’t give up, and finally managed to convene a second summit. So why is Portugal so interested in Africa? They claim ‘conscientious sensitivity,’ but the actual reason is their bad conscience. Portugal was the first colonialist European country, and it ruined Africa. It started to do whatever it wanted on the West African coast as early as the 1300s. This was followed by the voyages of Vasco de Gama in 1497. As a result of these trips, Portugal carved out a monopoly in the African ivory and gold trade. And, importantly, it pioneered the slave trade. In the beginning, about 800 Africans were kidnapped and brought to Portugal to cover a shortage of workers. When it extended its colonial empire to the other side of Atlantic and also captured Brazil, hundreds of thousands of Africans were made slaves and brought there. Other colonial powers followed: Britain, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. When do you think slavery was banned? At the Berlin Congress of 1885. The Ottoman Empire attended that meeting as well due to its territory in Africa. One hundred and twenty-two years later, Turkey again set its hands on Africa as a European power. Africans have no problem with Turkey, but their message to other European countries is clear. They think that their oil, uranium and other minerals whetted the appetite of the Europeans, who don’t want China or the US to have them instead. Africans also think that Europeans should first recognize the grave damage their colonialism caused. On the other hand, Europeans think that we should consider not the past, but the future. As in the case of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, they don’t even apologize. The summit will be held on Friday and Saturday. Let’s see if Sarkozy and German Prime Minister Angela Merkel will make their advice to Africa into criteria for them, and view the future in terms of their relationship with Turkey, or show more insincerity. We’ll see.” Turkish Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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