Turkish news for week ending 30 August 2008
T. R. H.
http://www.TurkRadio.us/ar/archives.html
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x0x Turkish news for week ending 30 August 2008
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A service of the TURKISH RADIO HOUR, producer of:
TURKISH CULTURAL PROGRAM
Saturdays at 6:00 P.M.
KUSF FM 90.3, San Francisco
Also tune to
ORIENT EXPRESS
Tuesdays at 10:00 P.M.
KKUP FM 91.5, CUPERTINO
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Ahmet Toprak edited today's news. Your host is Ahmet Toprak.
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NEWS
* The effects of the Georgian-Russian conflict are
still being felt around the World including Turkey.
The latest news we received is that Russian
authorities are keeping Turkish trucks fetching goods
to Russia several days at their border posts, perhaps
to express their displeasure with Turkish stance on the
conflict, especially with Turkey allowing the passage
of NATO and US naval vessels through the Turkish
straights to the Black Sea. The vessels are ostensibly
delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia.
Turkish officials are saying Turkish agricultural
goods will be spoiling as a result, and Turkish
producers are expected to loose up to $3 billion in
revenues.
Russia is Turkey's major trading partner, with
bilateral trade expected to reach $38 billion this
year. As is the case with European countries, Russia is
a major supplier of natural gas to Turkey.
Russian use the gas supplies as leverage, as they
have done so with Ukraine, to get their customers into
submission, analysts say.
We have more on the Russian reaction to the passage
of the western military vessels later in the news.
* On Thursday, Turkey's foreign affairs minister Mr.
Ali Babacan made a series of telephone calls to top
foreign diplomats to discuss recent developments in the
Caucasus, and particularly Georgia, reported the
Turkish daily Cumhuriyet.
Mr. Babacan spoke with Condoleezza Rice, British
counterpart David Miliband, German counterpart
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, NATO Secretary General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer, European Union Term President France's
Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner, European
Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, European
Union Commissioner for External Relations Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, European Union Commissioner for
Enlargement Olli Rehn, European Commission Term
President Sweden's Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Bildt,
and Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe Term President Finland's Foreign Affairs
Minister Alexander Stubb.
During the conversations, Babacan reportedly stressed
the importance that Turkey places on Georgia's
territorial integrity.
* The Turkish daily Aksam reports that the Azerbaijani
Foreign Affairs Minister Elmar Mammadyarov paid a visit
to Ankara on Friday to discuss recent developments in
the Caucasus as well as bilateral matters with his
Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan.
Georgian Foreign Affairs Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili
was also expected to pay a visit to Istanbul over the
weekend, and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey
Lavrov is set to meet with Babacan next week to discuss
recent developments in the region.
* On Tuesday, Senator Richard Lugar met with Turkey's
Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Babacan in the Turkish
capital Ankara, reports the Turkish daily Turkiye.
Asked about Turkish prime minister Mr. Recep Tayyip
Erdogan's proposed Caucasus platform, meant to help
restore regional peace and security following the
recent conflict between Russia and Georgia, Senator
Lugar told reporters that discussions on the platform
will probably be postponed until Russia fully pulls out
its troops from the region, and peace and stability has
completely been established in Georgia.
Senator Lugar, a Republican member of the Senate
Foreign Relation Committee, is currently leading a
congressional delegation on a nine-nation trip in the
wake of the Russian-Georgian conflict.
* Countries who are not signatories to the Montreux
Convention should nevertheless abide by it, said
Russian Ambassador to Ankara Vladimir Ivanovski on
Wednesday, reports the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet.
At a press conference at the Russian Embassy about
recent developments in the Caucasus, asked about
Turkey's proposal for a Caucasus cooperation and
stability platform, Ambassador Ivanovski said the
foreign affairs ministers of the two countries will
meet early next month.
Asked about Montreux, Ivanovski said that Turkey and
Russia's position on it was the same, adding that
everyone should abide by it, apparently implying the
US.
As we explained last week, Montreux Convention signed
in 1936, gives Turkey controls over the Turkish
straights, which it did not have for a while after the
end of the First World War.
The convention limits military vessels to 10,000
displacement tons, effectively preventing Western
aircraft carriers from entering the Black Sea.
See more on the convention at:
<http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/naval-arms-
control-1936.htm
* The daily Turkiye reports that in a series of trips
abroad in the weeks and months to come, Turkey's
President Abdullah Gul is set to renew his efforts to
promote Turkey's European Union membership bid, along
with other foreign policy goals.
Along with upcoming official visits to Lithuania,
Latvia and Estonia, Mr. Gul will also attend the
Frankfurt Book Fair on October 14-19, representing
Turkey as the guest country of honor, and address the
opening of the prestigious German cultural event.
Mr. Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in
Literature, will also speak at the fair. Turkey's rich
cultural and historical heritage will be spotlighted
through 200 different musical and cultural activities
during the fair, including 12 scholarly panels and four
symposiums, as well as an exhibit of Turkish writers
and publishers.
President Gul will also travel to New York to attend
the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly, set to
start on September 16.
During the assembly, Mr. Gul is expected to hold
bilateral talks with fellow UN members to promote
Turkey's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN
Security Council for 2009-2010.
An invitation from Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian
to watch a World Cup qualifying football match between
the two countries' national teams next Saturday (Sept.
6) in Yerevan is still being considered, but Gul is
expected to accept the invitation.
* The Turkish daily Hurriyet reports that at the
Turkish Union of Chambers of Commodities Exchanges
first women entrepreneurs' board congress on Monday,
the Union head Rifat Hisarciklioglu called for positive
discrimination to boost female employment and urged
that Turkish Parliament set up a commission on gender
equality.
More than 600 female entrepreneurs from around Turkey
participated in the congress held at the Union's
university in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Stressing the importance of women's role in society,
Mr. Hisarciklioglu said that Turkey fares poorly in
female employment, with only 24 percent of all women in
the workforce, compared to a World rate of 49 percent
and European Union average of 56 percent.
Also addressing the gathering, Turkey's state
minister Ms. Nimet Cubukcu said that traditional values
limit women to responsibilities in private life.
"But every day women are overcoming cultural and
economic obstacles to join the economy as
entrepreneurs," she added.
Ms. Cubukcu said the government had introduced new
regulations to permit flexible work hours for women,
but their effect has yet to be seen.
* Investing in Turkey has become a privilege for
foreign investors, said Turkey's industry and trade
minister Mr. Zafer Caglayan on Sunday, reports the
Turkish daily Sabah.
Mr. Caglayan touted Turkey as an important automobile
production hub.
Stressing that Turkey enjoys key advantages to
attract more foreign investments, he said that the
government had made sweeping legal changes to make such
investing easier.
He said that to make the progress in its automotive
sector sustainable, Turkey should also have an
inexpensive cost-competitive auto sector.
The government will provide interest-free loans to
small- and medium-sized enterprises which do exports,
he said.
Touching on recent international economic woes, he
added, "as long as Turkey's economic development trend
continues, income growth and demand will keep rising.
This means the automotive sector won't face any
dramatic contractions in the future."
* The Turkish daily Hurriyet reports that in collective
bargaining talks between Turkey's government and
Turkish trade unions representing more than two million
public workers, the government proposal for a 7.6
percent salary increase for next year fell far short of
labor demands.
ARTS AND CULTURE
* The number of high-spending Middle Eastern tourists
visiting Turkey is increasing, travel agents say,
reports the Dogan News Agency.
Tourists from Iran, Jordan and Syria especially
prefer the southwestern Turkey's Marmaris area, once
almost exclusively visited by Europeans. According to
the Turkish travel agents Middle Eastern tourists are
willing to pay a lot more for the hotels and amenities;
where as the European tourists were always looking for
bargains.
According to the travel agencies, Middle Eastern
tourists like urban life and stay close to the city
center.
As we have reported to you in the past weeks, a
Turkish drama series dubbed in Arabic and shown
throughout the Middle Eastern countries is increasing
the interest from these countries. Some of the public
and the Middle Eastern countries are also able to
receive Turkish TV channels, which increases their
interest in Turkey.
See more at:
<http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=113733>
* Asli Evrensel, an English literature student at
Istanbul University, has translated an English play
into Turkish during her summer break. GATE, an amateur
theater group created in 2006, is preparing to perform
the play '100', reports Charlotte Lloyd of the Turkish
daily News.
Ms. Lloyd says that the amateur group has done a
professional job in preparing the play for the stage.
In searching for GATE's next performance piece,
Evrensel stumbled upon the play "100," written by Neil
Monaghan, Diene Petterle and Christopher Heimann. The
work was influenced by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's famous
novel, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," especially in
terms of the work's magical realism style.
In the play's opening scene, the small cast of five
characters discover that they are dead and stuck in
limbo between life and death.
The characters are instructed that they only have one
hour to select the most important memory from their
life. After the time is up, they will live in their
chosen memory for eternity and all other memories of
their life will be erased.
See more at:
<http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=113880>
* The Turkish daily News reports that a new book by
Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, "The Museum
of Innocence," will be released in Turkey this week.
"The Museum of Innocence" is the typical Yesilcam,
or Turkish Hollywood-style love story, where distant
relatives -- a rich boy, Kemal, and a poor girl, Fusun
-- fall in love. But despite the unoriginal premise,
this is not your everyday love story.
Pamuk traveled to museums around the world to
research the novel, exploring the art of exhibition.
"The Museum of Innocence" is, therefore, not just a
novel for Pamuk, but also a symbol of his passion for
museums. The museum in the novel is supposed to exhibit
the wide collection Kemal has made of Fusun's personal
belongings, even the things she has merely touched.
Pamuk suggests in the novel that collecting artifacts
is a sign of love.
See more at:
<http://www.orhanpamuk.net/>
* The ancient Edirne Sarayi, or Saray-i Cedid-i Amire,
which was destroyed during the Russian occupation of
1875, will be recreated in a new project. The project
is undertaken by the Turkish Parliament and is
scheduled to start in 2009, reports the Turkish daily
News.
Oil paintings by Ottoman artists are the only
remaining record of the palace and will be used as
guide in Parliament's new project. Edirne, which served
as the Ottoman capital for years, will reclaim the
former glory if this ancient landmark through the
project. The history of the palace, which is situated
near Tundzha River in Edirne, dates back to Sultan
Murad II in 1450. After Murad II, other Ottoman
sultans, including Mehmet II, the Conqueror; Suleiman,
the Magnificent; Selim II; Ahmet I; Ahmet II; Sultan
Mustafa; Suleiman III; and Mehmet IV, or Hunter Mehmet,
also made changes to the palace by adding new
structures to it.
The palace had seven storys, which included a room
with a pool in the middle. During the reign of Mehmet
II, the Conqueror, the imperial gate (bab-i humayun),
regiment square, babussaade (the third gate to the
palace), the sultan's audience hall, cihannuma kasri
(the belvedere castle), kum kasri, harem and enderun
school were all added to the palace.
See more at:
<http://www.edirnegogushastanesi.saglik.gov.tr/slides/
EdirneSarayi.html>
* Turkish-Japanese dialogue is expected to flourish in
2010, designated as "Japanese Year" in Turkey, reports
Muge Akun of Turkish Daily News.
The year 2010 will also be the 120th anniversary of
Turkish-Japanese friendship, which began after an
Ottoman frigate sank off the Japanese coast in 1890.
Turkey plans to host a series of events while Turkish
representatives pay visits to Japan.
The program of events has not been announced yet, but
it is known that executives from 10 big Japanese firms,
including Toyota, will be among businessmen visiting
Turkey in 2010.
The year 2003 was designated as "Turkish Year" in
Japan. Bilateral relations were bolstered with a number
of events organized by authorities and nongovernmental
organizations from both countries.
As part of the 2010 Japanese Year program, which is a
second crucial step taken for Turkey-Japan dialogue,
some preliminary events will take place soon. A group
of artists and migrants from Japan's Wakayama region,
where the sunken Ottoman frigate Ertugrul is located,
will organize events jointly with partners from Turkey
to contribute to both countries' efforts to get to know
each other better.
* Speaking of Japanese artist, Muge Akgun also talks
about Neko Oikawa. Neko Oikawa is one of Japan's most
popular and productive songwriters. She has been paying
visits to Turkey since 1998. During her visits she met
Erol Safak, a Turk, and married him. The couple,
currently living in Japan, dedicated their life to
enhancing the dialogue between Turkey and Japan.
Described as "Aysel Gurel of Japan' in her country"
an attribution to prominent Turkish songwriter Aysel
Gurel who died recently, Oikawa has composed a song in
memory of the Ottoman frigate Ertugrul. The song is
called Chikai-Yemin, or Oath in English, and is voiced
by Shono Mayo. Oikawa is an active volunteer in various
social responsibility projects. She granted the income
she earned from a DVD, which she prepared together with
Japan's prominent musicians, to Iraqi kids four years
ago.
Mayo is one of the popular singers in Japan. In 2006,
she formed a band called "Musicians Without Borders",
or NPO. Mayo and her group took to the stage in many
countries around the world to promote global peace.
They have given numerous charity concerts so far,
including some held in Turkey.
Last year, Mayo and NPO prepared a CD, in which they
tell a love story about a Turk and a Japanese. Scenes
were shot in the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul's ancient
quarter of Sultanahmet and in different corners of the
same neighborhood as well as in the Veliefendi
Hippodrome and the Emirgan Park, each located in
different parts of Istanbul. The CD is still on sale in
Japan.
See more at:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtXbQvEWXNg&translated=1>
* The Turkish daily News reports that Dr. Halil
Inalcik, a respected professor of Ottoman history,
announced the publication of his latest book, "Studies
on the History of Turkish Textiles," with a cocktail
party held at Topkapi Palace on Thursday.
The epic work chronicles the development of the
Turkish textile industry all the way from its world
dominance in the 16th century, to its decline with the
beginning of the European Industrial Revolution, before
it reemerged once again on the world stage in the
1960s. The colorful book, adorned throughout its 368
pages with intricate paintings and maps, is a product
of 50 years of academic work according to Inalcik, who
said it presents a lesser-known side of Turkish
history.
"Anatolia possesses a people that can truly create
miracles," the 92-year-old Inalcik said. "In 1960, no
one had even heard of Turkish textiles. But today, we
are once again one of the industry's dominant
leaders.'The book holds a light to both the textile
sector's "age-old history" and its present day
condition, said a statement released by Is Bank
Cultural Press.
"We Turks did not only win military victories,"
Inalcik added. "For before European technology left us
behind in the 18th century, we were one of the most
advanced peoples in textiles, painting and the arts."
Professor Halil Inalcik received his doctorate from
Ankara University in 1940.
Prior to joining Bilkent University, he taught at
Ankara University, the University of Chicago, Columbia
University, Princeton University and the University of
Pennsylvania. He is an expert on classical Ottoman
economic, social and institutional history and has
published more than 200 scholarly articles and numerous
books.
See more at:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halil_%C4%B0nalc%C4%B1k>
* As the 65th Venice Film Festival kicks off, Turkey
competes for the Golden Lion with two films, Semih
Kaplanoglu's "Milk", the sequel to his acclaimed "Egg",
and Turkish-Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek's "Un
Giorno perfetto" (A Perfect Day), reports Emrah Guler
of the Turkish daily News.
The jury for the main competition will be led by
German filmmaker Wim Wenders, and includes Italian
actress Valeria Golino, Russian screenwriter Juriy
Arabov, British visual artist Douglas Gordon, American
filmmaker John Landis, Argentinean director Lucrecia
Martel, and Hong Kong director Johnnie To. Last year,
Taiwanese director Ang Lee won the Golden Lion for his
controversial war drama "Lust, Caution!"
See more at:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semih_Kaplano%C4%9Flu>
* Cetin Cem Yilmaz of the Turkish Daily News reports
that the second edition of the "Blurring the Lines'"
gig brought together the hottest bands on a unique
scene: Rock bands made up of foreign artists living in
Istanbul played on Kemanci stage in Istanbul this
Saturday.
Among the bands and artists were:
- Sean Parker Band
- The Wingmen,
- Sick Peaches and
- Black Schwartz
See more at:
<http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=114014>
* Turkish filmmaker Ozer Kiziltan won the grand prize
at the Sarajevo Film festival, which wrapped up this
Monday, reports the Turkish Daily News.
Kiziltan won 25,000 euros for his entry, "A Man's
Fear of God", and Saadet Isil Aksoy won the best
actress award for her role in Semih Kaplanoglu's film
"Egg".
The festival looked rather like a Turkish film
contest, as three of the 10 movies in the feature film
competition were Turkish: Zeki Demirkubuz's "Fate",
Reha Erdam's "Five Times", and "The Last Ottoman",
directed by Mustafa Sevki Dogan.
See more at:
<http://www.bostonturkishfilmfestival.org/2008Festival/Events/Takva
%20-%20A%20Mans%20Fear%20of%20God.htm>
* A group of 36 dancers have progressed to the
semifinals in the Istanbul International Ballet
Competition, Turkey's first-ever ballet competition,
reports the Turkish Daily News.
Organized by the State Opera and Ballet as part of
the 2010 European Cultural Capital events, the
competition will take place between Sept. 8 and 13 at
the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall. A panel of 11 judges,
which includes world known Russian dancer Maya
Plisetskaya, will choose the winners of the
competition.
See more at:
<http://www.istanbulballetcompetition.org/eng/index.html>
* According to Anatolia News agency Turkey is the
favorite destination of Brooklyn, New York's borough
president. In a short interview in the New York Post's
travel section, when asked for his favorite place on
earth apart from Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz said he
adored Turkey.
Noting that Brooklyn had the largest Turkish
population in the country, Markowitz said there were a
lot of similarities between Turkey and Brooklyn. He
talked of how Turkish food was healthy and not
fattening, adding, "How can you not love a place that
you can go there, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, come
home and you don't gain a pound? I love it!"
Markowitz is known for his close relationship with
the Turkish community in Brooklyn and often
participates in events organized by the
Turkish-American community.
See more at:
<http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/Press/2007/may16.htm>
* Renowned Kirghiz poet Chinghiz Aitmatov, who passed
away June 10 this year, will be commemorated at the
International Bursa Silk Road Film Festival. The
festival, to be organized in the Marmara city of Bursa
from Nov. 24 to Dec. 4, will screen 10 movies adapted
from the works of Aitmatov.
See more at:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinghiz_Aitmatov>
EXCHANGE RATE
EXCHANGE RATE for the U.S. dollar in Turkish Liras: 1.18
WEATHER
High and Low Temperatures in Degrees F, Weather
Ankara, in central Turkey----------: 91/70 Partly cloudy
Antalya, on the Mediterranean------: 91/77 Decreasing Cloudiness
Erzurum in eastern Turkey----------: 88/50 Partly cloudy
Istanbul, in northwestern Turkey---: 86/73 Partly cloudy
Izmir, on the Aegean---------------: 88/75 Decreasing Cloudiness
Trabzon, on the Black Sea----------: 82/72 Heavy Showers
*** ANNOUNCEMENTS
*** Turkish American Association of California is a non-profit
charitable organization established to promote better
understanding between Americans and Turks.
If you have any questions about Turks and Turkey,
e-mail them at ta...@taaca.org
*** Planning to go to Turkey? Take a look at our Web pages
that are full of articles and information furnished by
travelers like yourselves:
*** For more music from Turkey and the Middle East tune to
International Cultural Program.
San Francisco World TV Channel 29
Sundays at 9-10 A.M.
*** Bay Area Turkish Community School [ See more
at:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/batcs ] will start 2008-09
school
year on Sunday September 7th with the registration at the Los
Altos
Community Center.
We hope to see the Turkish-American children (5-12 years of age)
and
their families who'd like to register or to find out more about
the
school.
2008-09 calendar and the address for the Hillview Community
Center
are:
------------ --------- --------- --------- -------
Hillview Community Center
Room 16
97 Hillview Avenue
Los Altos, CA 94022
------------ --------- --------- --------- -------
2008/2009 CALENDAR---- --------- --------- --------- -
1. September 7, 2008 (Kayit/Registration )
2. September 14, 2008
3. September 28, 2008
4. October 12, 2008
5. October 19, 2008
6. October 26, 2008 (Cumhuriyet Bayrami/Republic Day)
7. November 9, 2008 (AtatUrkU Anma/Rememberence of Ataturk)
8. November 16, 2008
9. Saturday November 22, 2008 (Special Program: Atat?rk's daughter ?
lk? Hanim's visit. Time/place TBD.)
10. December 7, 2008
11. December 14, 2008
12. January 4, 2009
13. January 11, 2009
14. January 25, 2009
15. February 8, 2009
16. February 22, 2009
17. March 1, 2009
18. March 15, 2009
19. March 29, 2009
20. April 5, 2009
21. April 12, 2009
22. April 19, 2009 (Special Program: April 23 Children's Day/23
Nisan ?ocuk Bayrami. Time/place TBD.)
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