Tag Archive for Erdoğan

Phillip Pasmanick | August 6, 2012
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Netanyahu’s outreach for dialogue with Erdogan was rejected

Officials say PM Netanyahu reached out to his Turkish counterpart, Recep  Erdogan, for a reconciliation with Turkey, but Erdogan responded, “there is nothing to talk about” until Israel apologizes for Mavi Marmara raid.

By Shlomo Cesana and Israel Hayom Staff

 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, senior officials in Jerusalem revealed on Sunday, saying that Israel’s efforts at establishing a meaningful dialogue with the Turkish government had failed.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to reconcile with Israel. – Photo: AP

The officials said Netanyahu asked to speak with Erdogan and sought to set up a meeting between the two to resolve the ongoing crisis between their countries.

However, Turkey made it clear that as long as there was no formal apology from Israel — as demanded by Erdogan — over the deaths of nine Turkish nationals during the Israeli raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship in May 2010, then “there is nothing to talk about.”

In September 2011, Turkey downgraded its diplomatic relations with Israel, expelling the Israeli ambassador and canceling all military agreements with Israel. The move came after a U.N. report into the incident backed Israel’s legal right to impose a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, but said Israeli commandos used “excessive and unacceptable force” when they commandeered the Mavi Marmara.

The report slammed Turkey for not doing enough to ward off the deadly confrontation at sea. Turkey has rejected the report’s conclusions and is sticking to its demand that Israel apologize for the incident and compensate the victims’ families.

In June, Turkish prosecutors submitted to the High Criminal Court in Istanbul indictments for four former Israeli military leaders they claim were responsible for the incident, including former Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi. Prosecutors requested nine life sentences for each defendant.

Israel has officially refused to apologize for the incident, although government officials have said they are willing to discuss the matter to reach a mutually acceptable compromise.

Officials in Jerusalem on Sunday reiterated that Netanyahu wanted to talk about reconciliation and “a sort of apology,” but that a “public and official apology will be refused.”

 

View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5310

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Phillip Pasmanick | June 6, 2012
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Erdogan Thumbs Nose at Israeli Tourism; ‘We Don’t Need You’

Erdogan, ignoring statistics that dropped to sixth place for Israeli exports, says his country does not need Israeli tourists.

Nine Turkish citizens were killed after they ambushed Navy commandos with knives and clubs, severely wounding several and kidnapping three until other commandos rescued them and overtook the ship.

Erdogan and Hamas leader Mashaal

Erdogan and Hamas leader Mashaal - Reuters

Erdogan has not forgotten the clash and still blames Israel, despite a United Nations report that Israel was within its right to try to stop the six-ship flotilla from reaching Hamas terrorist-controlled Gaza.

“We don’t need Israeli tourists in Turkey and we don’t feel their absence,”  Erdogan told journalists from two Israeli newspapers, Yediot Acharonot and Maariv during a reception in Istanbul yesterday.

“We have replaced Israeli tourists with other tourists and last year we had 31 million tourists,” he declared.

He said relations with Israel, which once flourished, can resume to their former level only if and when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologizes for the clash. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman previously has said that if anyone should apologize, it should be Turkey.

Erdogan insisted, “Only if Israel apologizes for IDF soldiers boarding the Marmara and killing Turkish activists, and pays compensation to the families of the dead, and removes the terrible blockade on Gaza, will I be ready to meet with the Israeli prime minister, and perhaps normalize relations between the countries.”

Turkey’s relations with Israel began to go sour during the IDF Operation Cast Lead campaign against Hamas terrorists, when Erdogan did an about-face, siding with Hamas and warming up to both Hamas and Syria, which he now has distanced following the brutal suppression of civilians by the Assad regime.

 

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By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
Phillip Pasmanick | May 5, 2012
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Erdogan furious over Turkey rating downgrade

Turkey’s prime minister accuses ratings agency Standard & Poor’s of bias for lowering country’s long-term credit outlook

 

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused ratings agency Standard & Poor’s of bias for lowering the country’s long-term credit outlook on the same day it upgraded Greece’s credit grade.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Photo: EPA

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan - Photo by EPA

S&P on Tuesday had dropped Turkey’s outlook from positive to stable, which mean it is no longer considering an upgrade of its credit rating, and cited concerns over government debt. The same day it had upgraded the ratings of neighboring Greece after Athens completed a major debt writedown with private creditors.

The government of Turkey, a traditional rival to Greece, was less than pleased.

“‘From now on, we do not recognize you as a ratings agency,’” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said S&P’s ratings decisions this week were “ridiculous.”

S&P explained Wednesday that despite a terrific decade of economic growth and development, several structural weaknesses continue to put pressure on Turkey.

“Its economy is fairly closed, with exports accounting for a small share of GDP (about 24 percent in 2011),” S&P said in a statement. It noted the current account deficit is large and highly dependent on short-term financing from outside Turkey.

As a result, Turkey is particularly vulnerable to sudden financial account outflows and refinancing risks, S&P warned.

It recognized, however, that Turkey’s revision of its commercial code and capital markets law this year were crucial reforms and would make companies financially more transparent and enable market participants as well as rating agencies to better understand corporate risk.

“It’s almost revolutionary regulatory reform,” it said. “These changes could set the stage for the creation of a local investor base, the development of domestic capital markets, and even more growth in the future.”

Turkey estimates that economic growth will slow to 4 percent this year from about 7.5 percent last year. But it forecasts GDP growth will slow to between 2 percent and 2.5 percent in 2012. The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, has cautioned against rising inflation.

Turkey’s statistics institute said Thursday that consumer prices rose 11.1 percent in the year to April, while producer prices grew 7.65 percent.

 

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By the Associated Press

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Phillip Pasmanick | March 18, 2012
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Erdogan Blocked from German ‘Tolerance Prize’

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was blocked Saturday by German protesters from receiving an award for “humanity and tolerance.”

 

The 2012 Steiger Award was originally set to be awarded to Erdogan at a ceremony Saturday night in the western Germany city of Bochum. “Steiger” translates as “miner,” and is intended to reflect the qualities of responsibility, honesty, openness and hard work valued in the North Rhine Westphalia region where the award is presented. The award was created in 2005 under a private initiative.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Recep Tayyip Erdogan - Photo by Reuters

The Turkish prime minister was to receive the prize “in the name of the Turkish people” on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the agreement that allowed hundreds of thousands of Turkish foreign workers to enter Germany.

However, at least 25,000 people demonstrated in Bochum against the move, the vast majority of whom were of Turkish origin, according to the DPA news agency. They cited “human rights violations,” including Turkey’s persecution of the Kurdish population. There are some three million Turkish nationals and Germans of Turkish origin currently living in Germany.

Organizers meanwhile said they had decided not to award the prize to Erdogan because he was not personally attending the ceremony. The Turkish prime minister’s office told reporters he had canceled his plans after 12 Turkish soldiers died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

 

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By Chana Ya’ar

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Phillip Pasmanick | March 17, 2012
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Mashaal in Turkey: Israel Used Gaza to Test Iron Dome

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal meets Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. blames Israel for using excuses to attack Gaza.

 

The head of Hamas’ political bureau, Khaled Mashaal, met on Friday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two met for two hours during a surprise visit Mashaal made to Ankara.

Channel 10 News reported that during the meeting, Mashaal told Erdogan that Israel had used excuses to attack Gaza during the escalation this week, when terrorists fired more than 200 rockets at southern Israel.

Erdogan and Mashaal meet in Turkey

Erdogan and Mashaal meet in Turkey - Photo:Reuters

“Israel used Gaza as an experiment field for the Iron Dome and for the IDF’s weapons,” Mashaal was quoted by Channel 10 as having told Erdogan.

The report said that the Turkish leader expressed his anger over the “Israeli aggression” and warned Mashaal against what he called Israel’s attempt to drag Gaza into a war.

According to a report in the Turkish-based Today’s Zaman newspaper, the meeting between Mashaal and Erdogan focused mainly on the reconciliation between Hamas and its rival faction Fatah.

The newspaper quoted Erdogan as having told reporters prior to the meeting, “There are positive developments regarding relations between Hamas and Fatah. We will assess these developments.”

He added that regional issues will also be discussed at the meeting, which was attended by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Ömer Çelik.

The meeting came two days after Fatah officials admitted they do not expect Hamas leaders in Gaza to follow through on its end of the Cairo reconciliation deal “anytime soon.”

The now-itinerant Hamas politburo agreed to a deal in Qatar with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas to form an interim government of technocrats.

However, Hamas leaders in Gaza ambushed Mashaal after-the-fact with a raft of new demands observers say Fatah will never agree to.

 

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By Elad Benari, Canada

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
Phillip Pasmanick | March 14, 2012
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Turkish Airstrikes Target PPK in Northern Iraq

One day after Turkey’s prime minister castigated Israel for striking terrorists in Gaza, Ankara strikes at terrorists in Iraq.

Turkish warplanes launched a series of air strikes on northern Iraq late on Tuesday

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - Photo by Reuters

The region is home to several bases used by Kurdish separatists from the PKK that Ankara regards as terrorists – and frequently targets with its military.

“After 10:00 last night, the Turkish warplanes hit some areas near the border in three locations,” Colonel Hussein Tamr told the media.

“It lasted more than an hour. We went there after the attacks finished. We found no casualties and no material damage because the attacks took place on the outskirts of these villages,” he added.

However, on 29 December 2011, Turkish airstrikes in Kurdistan killed 23 cigarette smugglers Ankara had mistaken for separatist fighters.

Tuesday’s strikes came one day after Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan castigated Israel for the “massacre” caused by IAF airstrikes targeting terrorists in Gaza.

During four days of intense fighting, Gaza terrorists fired over 200 rockets at Israel’s southern towns, while Israeli strikes targeting terrorists launching rockets killed 27, of whom 25 were terrorists.

Unlike Turkey, Israel was responding to a clear and immediate threat to its civilian population by terrorists actively engaged in hostilities.

IDF commanders say Gaza’s terror factions, who were launching their rockets from densely populated areas, were using civilians as “human shields.”

Observers say the Turkish strikes, which appear to have served no military purpose, were likely staged as a propaganda ploy to serve Erdogan’s now-customary bellicose rhetoric towards the Jewish state.

 

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By Gavriel Queenann

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