Article Scan – January 17th: Turkey remains blind to foreign policy criticisms

January 17, 2014January 17, 2014 admin

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Turkey remains blind to foreign policy criticisms (Tülin DALOĞLU)

Let’s note two events held in Ankara this week: the sixth annual Ambassadors Conference with a theme of “strong democracy, dynamic economy, effective diplomacy,” and the German Marshall Fund’s conference, “Turkey’s Foreign Policy Reset.” While the former sends a message of absolutism about the current path of Turkey’s foreign policy, the latter simply suggests it needs restoration. The gap between these two perceptions seems unbridgeable.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, for example, said in his Jan. 13 opening remarks at the Ambassadors Conference, “Remember the excitement after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Democracy was expected to spread all around, but we see an opposite trend in the first 14 years of the 21st century: 9/11, interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the continuing revolts since the Arab Spring. At such a time, it is crucial that our diplomacy holds a position. What is this diplomacy holding a position? It’s respect for human dignity.” He added, “There can be no solution in Syria without honoring human dignity.”

General themes on the week’s economic data (by EMRE DELİVELİ)

We had a lot of data releases in Turkey this week. Rather than delve into the nitty gritties of the statistics, I would like to point out some general themes that emerged.

Business channel CNBC-e’s preliminary consumer confidence index plunged in January. The sharpest fall is in consumer sentiment, which, other than being historically volatile, could have been affected by the recent measures to curb loan growth and tax hikes as well as seasonality. However, domestic demand is likely to fall if the current political crisis is not resolved soon.

more: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/general-themes-on-the-weeks-economic-data.aspx?pageID=449&nID=61156&NewsCatID=430

Gul calls for reset of Turkey’s Syria policy (Semih IDIZ)

It is an open secret in Ankara that President Abdullah Gul is far from pleased with the government’s handling of foreign policy in general and the Syrian crisis in particular.

He has not spoken out critically on Syria in the past in order not to embarrass Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minster Ahmet Davutoglu, given their determination to pursue a one-track approach to this crisis that is predicated solely on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s demise.

But, like most people, Gul sees that Turkey is not only facing new and previously unexpected threats as a result of the crisis in Syria, but also that Ankara is on the fringes of all the major diplomatic efforts currently underway to stabilize the Middle East, including the Geneva II conference on Syria planned for Jan. 22.

This is in stark contrast with Davutoglu’s continuing claim that Turkey is poised to become one of the principal game setters of the region. With developments in the Middle East continuing to confound Erdogan and Davutoglu’s expectations, confronting Turkey instead with increasingly dangerous situations, Gul has clearly decided it is time to speak up.

What is Gül’s plan? (Taha AKYOL)

President Abdullah Gül thinks there are aspects contrary to the Constitution and to the principle of the separation of powers in a bill submitted by the government to Parliament about the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK).

He has legal opinions and official reports submitted to him. With his subtle style, he stated during a meeting with the Slovenian president that he has warned the prime minister on this matter.

Gül, who thinks that a formula in which parties agree on what would be more balanced and democratic, brought up that the HSYK arrangement should be done with a Constitutional amendment during meetings with political leaders. Thus, the matter would be dependent on the consensus of the parties.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told Gül he was open to this formula. So was Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş.

Upon this, Gül met Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He explained the inconveniences of the HSYK bill and that it needed to be solved at the constitutional level based on a consensus with the parties; the PM accepted this. The talks started like this.

SOURCE: MEDIA