Wednesday, April 18, 2018
America should work with Turkey, not terrorists, in Syria
The Washington Post
Serdar Kılıç, Washington
The writer is ambassador of the Republic of Turkey
The April 6 editorial “A gift to America’s enemies” claimed that Turkey is “irrationally bent on annihilating” Syrian forces, led by Kurds, “who have collaborated with the United States in fighting” Daesh.
The PKK and its Syrian branch the PYD/YPG are terrorist organizations that victimized the Kurdish people above all. As Daesh (also known as ISIS) does not represent the Muslims, the PYD/YPG does not represent the Kurds.
Turkey hosts 3.5 million Syrians from all faiths and ethnicities, including Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians and Armenians. The brutal Assad regime let the PYD/YPG widen its reign of terror to the areas these Syrians had to flee. A cynical cohabitation in these areas has emerged, similar to the one the regime had with Daesh. The PYD/YPG has never been an opposition element but an accomplice of the regime.
Turkey is the only country that fought with regular forces against Daesh in Syria and that took on another terrorist organization that was heavily entrenched in the mountainous terrain of Afrin. The Turkish Armed Forces showed an exemplary sensitivity for the protection of civilians. The liberated Afrin city center, which was left unscratched, stands in extreme contrast with the utter devastation caused in Raqqa by the PYD/YPG.
There is no room left for irresponsible tactical role-playing on the ground. It is time to see it all from a strategic perspective. The United States should rely on its decades-long alliance with Turkey, but not with a terrorist organization, while tackling the complexities of the Syrian conflict. This is essential for the future stability and security of the region.
Erdogan, Rouhani agree to maintain Turkey, Iran, Russia cooperation in Syria
APRIL 17, 2018 / 4:05 PM / UPDATED 16 HOURS AGO
Reuters Staff
1 MIN READ
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani agreed on Tuesday to maintain the cooperation between Turkey, Iran and Russia for a political solution to the conflict in Syria, a source in Erdogan’s office said.
Erdogan also told Rouhani in a telephone call that actions to increase tensions in the region should be avoided, after U.S., British and French forces carried out air strikes on Syria over the weekend.Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by David Dolan
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters Staff
1 MIN READ
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani agreed on Tuesday to maintain the cooperation between Turkey, Iran and Russia for a political solution to the conflict in Syria, a source in Erdogan’s office said.
Erdogan also told Rouhani in a telephone call that actions to increase tensions in the region should be avoided, after U.S., British and French forces carried out air strikes on Syria over the weekend.Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by David Dolan
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Turkey taking 'huge strides' away from European Union: top EU official
APRIL 17, 2018 / 5:04 PM / UPDATED 10 HOURS AGO
Alastair Macdonald
5 MIN READ
STRASBOURG (Reuters) - Turkey is moving rapidly away from the path of European Union membership, the top EU official in charge of negotiations said on Tuesday, as Brussels delivered its harshest criticism yet of what it sees as Ankara’s shift toward authoritarianism.
While couched in diplomatic language, the European Commission’s annual report on Turkey’s progress toward membership blamed Ankara for a broad, collective and disproportionate crackdown after a failed 2016 coup attempt.
It warned that years of progress toward European Union standards in human rights, freedom of expression and the rule of law were being reversed and that Turkey had seen a weakening of local democracy as presidential powers increased.
Alastair Macdonald
5 MIN READ
STRASBOURG (Reuters) - Turkey is moving rapidly away from the path of European Union membership, the top EU official in charge of negotiations said on Tuesday, as Brussels delivered its harshest criticism yet of what it sees as Ankara’s shift toward authoritarianism.
While couched in diplomatic language, the European Commission’s annual report on Turkey’s progress toward membership blamed Ankara for a broad, collective and disproportionate crackdown after a failed 2016 coup attempt.
It warned that years of progress toward European Union standards in human rights, freedom of expression and the rule of law were being reversed and that Turkey had seen a weakening of local democracy as presidential powers increased.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Διαδηλωτής γρονθοκόπησε αστυνομικό στη Θεσσαλονίκη και δεν συνελήφθη (Βίντεο)
Η δημοσίευση είναι από την εφημερίδα ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ. Η ακρίβεια και η αξιοπιστία των αναφερόμενων γεγονότων, από εμένα τουλάχιστον δεν αμφισβητείται.
Τι σχόλια μπορεί να κάνει κανείς; Ότι οι αστυνομικοί γνωρίζουν ότι αυτοί που κυβερνάν είναι με αυτόν που έδειρε τον αστυνομικό, γι αυτό έχει καμφθεί το ηθικό τους σε τέτοιο βαθμό που από δύναμη επιβολή της τάξης πολλοί έχουν γίνει οι καρπαζοεισπράκτορες του κάθε αναρχικού στοιχείου. Ποιοι έχουν σειρά; Μα όσοι βρεθούν μπροστά στους αναρχικούς και δεν τους αρέσει η φάτσα τους. Η κατάρρευση της χώρας ξεδιπλώνεται μπροστά μας. Πριν από λίγες ημέρες, ένας 88χρονος γέρος συνελήφθη και κρατήθηκε με χειροπέδες για τρεις ημέρες επειδή πυροβόλησε έναν ληστή στο σπίτι του. Έναν ληστή που τον απείλησε ότι θα τον σκοτώσει. Και ο υπουργός κατηγόρησε τον ηλικιωμένο ότι κάνει την Ελλάδα Φαρ Ουέστ. Με τους ληστές ο υπουργός; Σίγουρα καταλαβαίνει τα "αίτια" και τους "μηχανισμούς" που οδήγησαν τους ληστές σε τέτοιες πράξεις. Καταλαβαίνει την "κοινωνική αδικία" που ωθεί τους ανθρώπους στην παραβατικότητα...Τον παπούλη πάντως δεν μπορεί να τον καταλάβει. Ήταν ένα προνομιούχος κάτοικος της Γλυφάδας.
Καθημερινή 17-4-2018
ΕΛΛΑΔΑ 10:02
Αίσθηση έχει προκαλέσει ένα βίντεο από τα επεισόδια που σημειώθηκαν μεταξύ διαδηλωτών και αστυνομικών των ΜΑΤ εντός του εμπορικού κέντρου στη Θεσσαλονίκη, το μεσημέρι του Σαββάτου.
Στο βίντεο που δημοσιοποίησε σε μέσο κοινωνικής δικτύωσης ο δικηγόρος Θάνος Καρατσιώλης, στο οποίο καταγράφεται ένας διαδηλωτής να έχει ρίξει στο δάπεδο έναν αστυνομικό και να τον γρονθοκοπεί, μέχρι να τον σταματήσουν οι συνάδελφοι του αστυνομικού, ενώ στη συνέχεια απομακρύνθηκε, χωρίς να συλληφθεί.
Σύμφωνα με τα όσα ανέφερε στην ανάρτησή του ο δικηγόρος, όλα κυλούσαν ομαλά, με διακριτική και ελάχιστη αστυνομική παρουσία, όταν συντονισμένα οι διαδηλωτές επιτέθηκαν στα όργανα της τάξης.
Για το περιστατικό διενεργείται προανάκριση, σύμφωνα με το voria.gr, ενώ ο αστυνομικός, που μεταφέρθηκε στο νοσοκομείο με έντονη αιμορραγία στη μύτη έχει κληθεί να καταθέσει.
Ο ίδιος, σύμφωνα με τον πρόεδρο της Ένωσης Αστυνομικών Υπαλλήλων Θεσσαλονίκης, Θοδωρής Τσαϊρίδης, θεωρεί πως οι εντολές με τον τρόπο που δόθηκαν, τον εξέθεσαν σε κίνδυνο, ενώ μένει να φανεί αν ο ίδιος θα κινηθεί νομικά εναντίον του διαδηλωτή που του επιτέθηκε.
Σύμφωνα με τον κ. Τσαϊρίδη, ο αστυνομικός αντιμετωπίζει πρόβλημα με την όρασή του.
Τι σχόλια μπορεί να κάνει κανείς; Ότι οι αστυνομικοί γνωρίζουν ότι αυτοί που κυβερνάν είναι με αυτόν που έδειρε τον αστυνομικό, γι αυτό έχει καμφθεί το ηθικό τους σε τέτοιο βαθμό που από δύναμη επιβολή της τάξης πολλοί έχουν γίνει οι καρπαζοεισπράκτορες του κάθε αναρχικού στοιχείου. Ποιοι έχουν σειρά; Μα όσοι βρεθούν μπροστά στους αναρχικούς και δεν τους αρέσει η φάτσα τους. Η κατάρρευση της χώρας ξεδιπλώνεται μπροστά μας. Πριν από λίγες ημέρες, ένας 88χρονος γέρος συνελήφθη και κρατήθηκε με χειροπέδες για τρεις ημέρες επειδή πυροβόλησε έναν ληστή στο σπίτι του. Έναν ληστή που τον απείλησε ότι θα τον σκοτώσει. Και ο υπουργός κατηγόρησε τον ηλικιωμένο ότι κάνει την Ελλάδα Φαρ Ουέστ. Με τους ληστές ο υπουργός; Σίγουρα καταλαβαίνει τα "αίτια" και τους "μηχανισμούς" που οδήγησαν τους ληστές σε τέτοιες πράξεις. Καταλαβαίνει την "κοινωνική αδικία" που ωθεί τους ανθρώπους στην παραβατικότητα...Τον παπούλη πάντως δεν μπορεί να τον καταλάβει. Ήταν ένα προνομιούχος κάτοικος της Γλυφάδας.
Καθημερινή 17-4-2018
ΕΛΛΑΔΑ 10:02
Αίσθηση έχει προκαλέσει ένα βίντεο από τα επεισόδια που σημειώθηκαν μεταξύ διαδηλωτών και αστυνομικών των ΜΑΤ εντός του εμπορικού κέντρου στη Θεσσαλονίκη, το μεσημέρι του Σαββάτου.
Στο βίντεο που δημοσιοποίησε σε μέσο κοινωνικής δικτύωσης ο δικηγόρος Θάνος Καρατσιώλης, στο οποίο καταγράφεται ένας διαδηλωτής να έχει ρίξει στο δάπεδο έναν αστυνομικό και να τον γρονθοκοπεί, μέχρι να τον σταματήσουν οι συνάδελφοι του αστυνομικού, ενώ στη συνέχεια απομακρύνθηκε, χωρίς να συλληφθεί.
Σύμφωνα με τα όσα ανέφερε στην ανάρτησή του ο δικηγόρος, όλα κυλούσαν ομαλά, με διακριτική και ελάχιστη αστυνομική παρουσία, όταν συντονισμένα οι διαδηλωτές επιτέθηκαν στα όργανα της τάξης.
Για το περιστατικό διενεργείται προανάκριση, σύμφωνα με το voria.gr, ενώ ο αστυνομικός, που μεταφέρθηκε στο νοσοκομείο με έντονη αιμορραγία στη μύτη έχει κληθεί να καταθέσει.
Ο ίδιος, σύμφωνα με τον πρόεδρο της Ένωσης Αστυνομικών Υπαλλήλων Θεσσαλονίκης, Θοδωρής Τσαϊρίδης, θεωρεί πως οι εντολές με τον τρόπο που δόθηκαν, τον εξέθεσαν σε κίνδυνο, ενώ μένει να φανεί αν ο ίδιος θα κινηθεί νομικά εναντίον του διαδηλωτή που του επιτέθηκε.
Σύμφωνα με τον κ. Τσαϊρίδη, ο αστυνομικός αντιμετωπίζει πρόβλημα με την όρασή του.
Monday, April 16, 2018
Tsipras Fights on All Fronts as Greece Back in the Spotlight
By Elena Chrepa
16 Απριλίου 2018, 8:00 π.μ. EEST Updated on 16 Απριλίου 2018, 3:20 μ.μ. EEST
Economy remains priority in the final race to bailout exit...
...But concerns rising on Turkey, Macedonia, looming election
Bloomberg
Consider what Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is up against.
As Greece prepares to free itself from an eight-year European bailout, its 43 year-old premier is confronting challenges at home and abroad. On the domestic front: preparations for post-bailout economic life and the first general election since the end of the program, including feuds with both allies and rivals. On the foreign-policy front: increased tensions with traditional rival Turkey and regional instability stemming from a dispute over a neighboring country’s name.
Tsipras’s ability to navigate through all this could determine just how stable the country and its region will be in coming years, experts say, and the European Union, the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are all watching with interest.
“The wo
16 Απριλίου 2018, 8:00 π.μ. EEST Updated on 16 Απριλίου 2018, 3:20 μ.μ. EEST
Economy remains priority in the final race to bailout exit...
...But concerns rising on Turkey, Macedonia, looming election
Bloomberg
Consider what Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is up against.
As Greece prepares to free itself from an eight-year European bailout, its 43 year-old premier is confronting challenges at home and abroad. On the domestic front: preparations for post-bailout economic life and the first general election since the end of the program, including feuds with both allies and rivals. On the foreign-policy front: increased tensions with traditional rival Turkey and regional instability stemming from a dispute over a neighboring country’s name.
Tsipras’s ability to navigate through all this could determine just how stable the country and its region will be in coming years, experts say, and the European Union, the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are all watching with interest.
“The wo
Turkey warns Greece after flag is hoisted on disputed islet
By Associated Press April 16 at 8:01 AM
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s prime minister has warned Greece to refrain from “provocations” after a Greek flag was hoisted on a disputed, uninhabited islet in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters Monday that the Turkish coast guards removed the flag from the island off the coast of the Aegean resort of Didim.
Yildirim said the incident was similar to one in 1996 when the two NATO allies went to war over the uninhabited Imia islets — Kardak in Turkish — which both Turkey and Greece claim.
Yildirim says “our advice to Greece would be to stay away from provocations and agitations ... We are determined to give the necessary response to such fait accomplis.”
In Athens, Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzannakopoulos said the government had no knowledge of the incident and described the remarks made by Yildirim as “provocative and reprehensible.”
“I think Mr. Yildirim should be more careful,” Tzannakopoulos said. “We call on Turkey to return to a path of respect for international law ... They should take an initiative to de-escalate the tension.”
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s prime minister has warned Greece to refrain from “provocations” after a Greek flag was hoisted on a disputed, uninhabited islet in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters Monday that the Turkish coast guards removed the flag from the island off the coast of the Aegean resort of Didim.
Yildirim said the incident was similar to one in 1996 when the two NATO allies went to war over the uninhabited Imia islets — Kardak in Turkish — which both Turkey and Greece claim.
Yildirim says “our advice to Greece would be to stay away from provocations and agitations ... We are determined to give the necessary response to such fait accomplis.”
In Athens, Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzannakopoulos said the government had no knowledge of the incident and described the remarks made by Yildirim as “provocative and reprehensible.”
“I think Mr. Yildirim should be more careful,” Tzannakopoulos said. “We call on Turkey to return to a path of respect for international law ... They should take an initiative to de-escalate the tension.”
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Friday, April 13, 2018
Greece’s Island of Despair
Text by ILIANA MAGRAMARCH 29, 2018
The New York Times
His brown eyes sunken and flat, Jahangir Baroch had spent another sleepless night in the metal container on the Greek island of Lesbos where he has lived for more than a year.
“There was no electricity in the container last night,” Mr. Baroch, 26, said desperately, at a center for refugees, away from the holding camp in Moria, where he is housed. “It was like a fridge.”
“I want to go to Athens,” said Mr. Baroch, who came from Baluchistan, an embattled province in Pakistan. “If you don’t want me, I want to go to another country.”
“Why am I here?” he asked, somberly.
Others are asking the same question two years after the European Union struck a deal with Turkey aimed at cutting off the route across the Aegean Sea for asylum seekers, many propelled by wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since then, thousands have remained stranded on Lesbos, unwilling to go back to the countries they left, unable to move forward, toward the opportunity they had hoped to find in Europe. Though the numbers are fewer, they keep coming.
The lucky ones, whose asylum applications are accepted, are eventually shipped to the Greek mainland. Those whose applications are rejected (they can apply twice) are sent back to Turkey as part of the deal with the European Union.
The New York Times
His brown eyes sunken and flat, Jahangir Baroch had spent another sleepless night in the metal container on the Greek island of Lesbos where he has lived for more than a year.
“There was no electricity in the container last night,” Mr. Baroch, 26, said desperately, at a center for refugees, away from the holding camp in Moria, where he is housed. “It was like a fridge.”
“I want to go to Athens,” said Mr. Baroch, who came from Baluchistan, an embattled province in Pakistan. “If you don’t want me, I want to go to another country.”
“Why am I here?” he asked, somberly.
Others are asking the same question two years after the European Union struck a deal with Turkey aimed at cutting off the route across the Aegean Sea for asylum seekers, many propelled by wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since then, thousands have remained stranded on Lesbos, unwilling to go back to the countries they left, unable to move forward, toward the opportunity they had hoped to find in Europe. Though the numbers are fewer, they keep coming.
The lucky ones, whose asylum applications are accepted, are eventually shipped to the Greek mainland. Those whose applications are rejected (they can apply twice) are sent back to Turkey as part of the deal with the European Union.
Uber to suspend service in Greece after new legislation
APRIL 5, 2018 / 11:10 AM / 8 DAYS AGO
Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ
ATHENS (Reuters) - Ride-hailing service Uber said on Thursday it would suspend its licensed service in Greece after the approval of local legislation which imposes stricter regulation on the sector.
Uber, which operates a licensed service in the Greek capital, has faced opposition from local taxi drivers who accuse it of taking their business.
“New local regulations were voted on recently with provisions that impact ride-sharing services,” Uber said in a blog post. “We have to assess if and how we can operate within this new framework and so will be suspending uberX in Athens from next Tuesday until we can find an appropriate solution.”
Uber operates two services in Athens: UberX, which uses professional licensed drivers, and UberTAXI, which uses taxi drivers.
Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ
ATHENS (Reuters) - Ride-hailing service Uber said on Thursday it would suspend its licensed service in Greece after the approval of local legislation which imposes stricter regulation on the sector.
Uber, which operates a licensed service in the Greek capital, has faced opposition from local taxi drivers who accuse it of taking their business.
“New local regulations were voted on recently with provisions that impact ride-sharing services,” Uber said in a blog post. “We have to assess if and how we can operate within this new framework and so will be suspending uberX in Athens from next Tuesday until we can find an appropriate solution.”
Uber operates two services in Athens: UberX, which uses professional licensed drivers, and UberTAXI, which uses taxi drivers.
Trash-Talking Toward Conflict?
The New York Times
By Nikos Konstandaras
Mr. Konstandaras is a columnist at the newspaper Kathimerini and a contributing opinion writer.
April 8, 2018
ATHENS — In a rapidly intensifying war of words, government officials of the nominal NATO allies Greece and Turkey have been exchanging insults and threats in the past few weeks, recalling conflicts from a shared and bloody history. Relations have rarely been rosy, but the speed with which they have worsened, and the level of vitriol, have raised fears that the two heavily armed neighbors may be trash-talking their way to new conflict.
Adding to those concerns is the awareness that the two most credible mediators between the two sides — the United States and the European Union — appear to have little leverage with Turkey.
Greece and Turkey have played decisive roles in each other’s history, and this determines their relations today. The Greeks rebelled against almost four centuries of Ottoman rule in 1821 and, after years of war (and foreign intervention), won their freedom with the declaration of the Greek state in 1830. Turks commemorate Sept. 9, the date on which Turkish troops entered Izmir in 1922 after routing a Greek invasion force, ending millenniums of Greek presence in Asia Minor and leading to the declaration of a modern, secular Turkey.
Turkey’s Double ISIS Standard
Foreign Policy Blog
Ankara claims to oppose the Islamic State. Its actions suggest otherwise.
BY AHMET S. YAYLA, COLIN P. CLARKE | APRIL 12, 2018, 4:43 PM
he decline of the Islamic State, nearly four years after its emergence, was the result of an aggressive military campaign to combat the group spearheaded primarily by the United States. That has not stopped Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu from writing an article for Foreign Policy to take credit for the group’s demise, insisting that Turkey’s actions in northern Syria have helped lay the groundwork for a sustainable peace.
What he neglected to mention is that it was Turkey’s actions, or perhaps the lack thereof, that helped fuel the rise of the Islamic State in the first place. The two most commonly cited factors leading to the growth of the Islamic State are the Syrian civil war and the government of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and its persecution of Sunni Arabs in Iraq. But another significant part of this story is the negligence exhibited by the Turkish state.
Ankara claims to oppose the Islamic State. Its actions suggest otherwise.
BY AHMET S. YAYLA, COLIN P. CLARKE | APRIL 12, 2018, 4:43 PM
he decline of the Islamic State, nearly four years after its emergence, was the result of an aggressive military campaign to combat the group spearheaded primarily by the United States. That has not stopped Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu from writing an article for Foreign Policy to take credit for the group’s demise, insisting that Turkey’s actions in northern Syria have helped lay the groundwork for a sustainable peace.
What he neglected to mention is that it was Turkey’s actions, or perhaps the lack thereof, that helped fuel the rise of the Islamic State in the first place. The two most commonly cited factors leading to the growth of the Islamic State are the Syrian civil war and the government of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and its persecution of Sunni Arabs in Iraq. But another significant part of this story is the negligence exhibited by the Turkish state.
UPDATE 2-Turkey's Erdogan lashes out at investors over tumbling lira
APRIL 12, 2018 / 2:29 PM / UPDATED 18 HOURS AGO
Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ
(Adds graphic, central bank governor)
By Tuvan Gumrukcu
ANKARA, April 12 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at international investors on Thursday, saying that no one could use exchange rates to bring the country to heel - casting a slide in value of its currency, the lira, as a foreign conspiracy.
His comments came after the lira plumbed record lows for five straight trading days, a sell-off that Erdogan and his ministers called an economic attack by outside forces.
The lira’s slide - it is down 8 percent against the dollar so far this year, one of the worst performances among emerging markets - reflects the gulf between Erdogan and international investors over monetary policy. Erdogan, an economic populist and a self-described “enemy of interest rates” wants to see lower borrowing costs despite double-digit inflation.
“Do not worry, Turkey continues on its path with determined steps, nobody can discipline us based on exchange rates,” he said in a speech in Ankara. “The rise in exchange rates has no reasonable, logical or by-the-book explanation.”
Economists say the lira’s slide is a reflection of entrenched inflation and wage growth and that interest rates needs to be raised to arrest its fall.
The lira was at 4.0970 to the dollar at 1321 GMT. On Wednesday, it set a record low of 4.1944. It was trading at 5.0475 against the euro after reaching a record low of 5.1914 on Wednesday.
The lira has faced some pressure from growing tension between the United States and neighbouring Syria and from a sell-off in the Russian rouble, the currency of a major trading partner and a fellow emerging-market heavyweight. But investors say most of Turkey’s problems are home-grown.
Markets are looking ahead to the central bank’s next policy-setting meeting on April 25. The bank’s reluctance to raise rates at its last two meetings has heightened the perception that it is less than independent.
The central bank is following developments in inflation and will tighten monetary policy further if that is deemed necessary, the governor of the central bank, Murat Cetinkaya, said on Thursday, comments that appeared to give the currency some relief.
Data released on Wednesday showed the current account - a broadly defined measure of trade that includes services and investment income - recorded a deficit of $4.152 billion in February.
That was less than the $4.2 billion forecast in a Reuters poll but an increase of more than 60 percent from the same period a year earlier. Analysts said it affirmed Turkey’s vulnerabilities on the balance of payments front.
Additional reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu in Ankara and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul; writing by David Dolan; editing by Robin Pomeroy, Larry King
Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ
(Adds graphic, central bank governor)
By Tuvan Gumrukcu
ANKARA, April 12 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at international investors on Thursday, saying that no one could use exchange rates to bring the country to heel - casting a slide in value of its currency, the lira, as a foreign conspiracy.
His comments came after the lira plumbed record lows for five straight trading days, a sell-off that Erdogan and his ministers called an economic attack by outside forces.
The lira’s slide - it is down 8 percent against the dollar so far this year, one of the worst performances among emerging markets - reflects the gulf between Erdogan and international investors over monetary policy. Erdogan, an economic populist and a self-described “enemy of interest rates” wants to see lower borrowing costs despite double-digit inflation.
“Do not worry, Turkey continues on its path with determined steps, nobody can discipline us based on exchange rates,” he said in a speech in Ankara. “The rise in exchange rates has no reasonable, logical or by-the-book explanation.”
Economists say the lira’s slide is a reflection of entrenched inflation and wage growth and that interest rates needs to be raised to arrest its fall.
The lira was at 4.0970 to the dollar at 1321 GMT. On Wednesday, it set a record low of 4.1944. It was trading at 5.0475 against the euro after reaching a record low of 5.1914 on Wednesday.
The lira has faced some pressure from growing tension between the United States and neighbouring Syria and from a sell-off in the Russian rouble, the currency of a major trading partner and a fellow emerging-market heavyweight. But investors say most of Turkey’s problems are home-grown.
Markets are looking ahead to the central bank’s next policy-setting meeting on April 25. The bank’s reluctance to raise rates at its last two meetings has heightened the perception that it is less than independent.
The central bank is following developments in inflation and will tighten monetary policy further if that is deemed necessary, the governor of the central bank, Murat Cetinkaya, said on Thursday, comments that appeared to give the currency some relief.
Data released on Wednesday showed the current account - a broadly defined measure of trade that includes services and investment income - recorded a deficit of $4.152 billion in February.
That was less than the $4.2 billion forecast in a Reuters poll but an increase of more than 60 percent from the same period a year earlier. Analysts said it affirmed Turkey’s vulnerabilities on the balance of payments front.
Additional reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu in Ankara and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul; writing by David Dolan; editing by Robin Pomeroy, Larry King
Friday, March 30, 2018
Turkey says will take action if militants do not leave Syria's Manbij
MARCH 28, 2018 / 8:09 PM / 2 DAYS AGO
Reuters Staff
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey will take action if militants do not withdraw immediately from Syria’s Manbij region and areas in the country east of the Euphrates, Turkey’s National Security Council said on Wednesday.
Turkey, which stormed the northern Syrian town of Afrin last week after a two-month offensive against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, has repeatedly threatened to push its operations further east to Manbij where U.S. troops are stationed.
Expanding Turkey’s military campaign into the much larger Kurdish-held territory further east, which President Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to do, would risk confrontation between the NATO allies who have been at loggerheads over the U.S. policy in Syria and other issues.
“In the meeting, it is stated that the terrorists in Manbij should be removed from the area, otherwise Turkey will not hesitate to take initiative by itself as it did in other regions,” the statement from the security council, chaired by Erdogan, said.
It said the same approach also applied to the militants on Syrian soil at the east of Euphrates, without elaborating where that would specifically apply to, or who it might target.
Turkey considers the YPG to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the state, and has been infuriated by the support Washington has provided the Syrian Kurdish fighters.
The Council said it also expected Iraq’s government to prevent the PKK operating in Iraq, especially in towns of Sinjar and Qandil. If that was not possible Turkey would prevent them itself, the council added.
“In the meeting it is stated that aside from Syria, Turkey expects Iraq to prevent operations by the separatist terrorist organization in its territory and if it is not possible Turkey will prevent them by itself,” the council statement said using the term it applies to PKK.
On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Iraqi armed forces would prevent Kurdish militants based in northern Iraq from staging cross-border attacks against Turkey during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart.
Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Alison Williams
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters Staff
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey will take action if militants do not withdraw immediately from Syria’s Manbij region and areas in the country east of the Euphrates, Turkey’s National Security Council said on Wednesday.
Turkey, which stormed the northern Syrian town of Afrin last week after a two-month offensive against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, has repeatedly threatened to push its operations further east to Manbij where U.S. troops are stationed.
Expanding Turkey’s military campaign into the much larger Kurdish-held territory further east, which President Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to do, would risk confrontation between the NATO allies who have been at loggerheads over the U.S. policy in Syria and other issues.
“In the meeting, it is stated that the terrorists in Manbij should be removed from the area, otherwise Turkey will not hesitate to take initiative by itself as it did in other regions,” the statement from the security council, chaired by Erdogan, said.
It said the same approach also applied to the militants on Syrian soil at the east of Euphrates, without elaborating where that would specifically apply to, or who it might target.
Turkey considers the YPG to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the state, and has been infuriated by the support Washington has provided the Syrian Kurdish fighters.
The Council said it also expected Iraq’s government to prevent the PKK operating in Iraq, especially in towns of Sinjar and Qandil. If that was not possible Turkey would prevent them itself, the council added.
“In the meeting it is stated that aside from Syria, Turkey expects Iraq to prevent operations by the separatist terrorist organization in its territory and if it is not possible Turkey will prevent them by itself,” the council statement said using the term it applies to PKK.
On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Iraqi armed forces would prevent Kurdish militants based in northern Iraq from staging cross-border attacks against Turkey during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart.
Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Alison Williams
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Euro zone to unlock new loans to Greece, working on debt relief
MARCH 12, 2018 / 8:12 PM / 2 DAYS AGO
Francesco Guarascio, Jan Strupczewski
4 MIN READ
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone creditors are expected to disburse new loans to Greece this month and are working on debt relief measures, the head of the bloc’s finance ministers said on Monday, steps that should help underpin its economic recovery.
Greece’s 86-billion-euro bailout program, its third since 2010, is due to end in August and international lenders are debating how to ensure the country makes its exit on a sustainable footing.
Among options under consideration in Brussels are support measures that could run into tens of billions of euros and help ease servicing costs on a public debt pile that, in terms of economic output, is among the biggest in the world.
Francesco Guarascio, Jan Strupczewski
4 MIN READ
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone creditors are expected to disburse new loans to Greece this month and are working on debt relief measures, the head of the bloc’s finance ministers said on Monday, steps that should help underpin its economic recovery.
Greece’s 86-billion-euro bailout program, its third since 2010, is due to end in August and international lenders are debating how to ensure the country makes its exit on a sustainable footing.
Among options under consideration in Brussels are support measures that could run into tens of billions of euros and help ease servicing costs on a public debt pile that, in terms of economic output, is among the biggest in the world.
Greece Is Quietly Backsliding on Reform
Greece needs public sector reform and investment, not more debt-fueled consumption.
By Phylis Papadavid
Bloomberg
Greece’s planned August exit from its third European Stability Mechanism bailout has triggered investor optimism. Its July 2017 bond issuance, the first in three years, was oversubscribed, as were subsequent issuances in February of this year. And yet financial investors should curb their optimism. Greece’s return to the markets, and its economic recovery, are likely to be a bumpy and slow -- especially if it continues to delay key reforms.
By Phylis Papadavid
Bloomberg
Greece’s planned August exit from its third European Stability Mechanism bailout has triggered investor optimism. Its July 2017 bond issuance, the first in three years, was oversubscribed, as were subsequent issuances in February of this year. And yet financial investors should curb their optimism. Greece’s return to the markets, and its economic recovery, are likely to be a bumpy and slow -- especially if it continues to delay key reforms.
Clashes break out in Greece over foreclosures
By Associated Press March 14 at 12:34 PM
ATHENS, Greece — Five people were detained Wednesday during clashes between riot police and protesters attempting to disrupt a central Athens auction of foreclosed properties.
Left-wing activists have stepped up protests in recent weeks against online auctions as the government remains under pressure from bailout lenders to speed up the process and ease the strain on banks stemming from a huge backlog of nonperforming loans.
The auctions are required as part of the country’s international bailout, which is due to end in August. Creditors have also promised to deliver some debt relief for Greece if it fulfils all the conditions of the bailout.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Greeks vent fury over soldiers being 'held hostage' in Turkey
Defence minister says arrests have aggravated already strained ties between two countries
The Guardian
Protesters have taken to the streets of northern Greece demanding the release of two Greek soldiers detained by Turkey, amid rising tensions between the two countries.
Greece’s defence minister, Panos Kammenos, described the pair as “hostages” and ordered border patrols to be stepped up along the heavily defended land frontier the two nations share.
Sgt Dimitris Kouklatzis, 27, and Lt Angelos Mitretodis, 25, were seized 11 days ago after allegedly being found in a “forbidden military zone” deep in Turkish territory. The soldiers say they inadvertently strayed across the frontier in bad weather.
Last week a court in the Turkish border town of Edirne, where the two are being held in a high-security prison, rejected a plea for their release pending further investigation.
The Guardian
Protesters have taken to the streets of northern Greece demanding the release of two Greek soldiers detained by Turkey, amid rising tensions between the two countries.
Greece’s defence minister, Panos Kammenos, described the pair as “hostages” and ordered border patrols to be stepped up along the heavily defended land frontier the two nations share.
Sgt Dimitris Kouklatzis, 27, and Lt Angelos Mitretodis, 25, were seized 11 days ago after allegedly being found in a “forbidden military zone” deep in Turkish territory. The soldiers say they inadvertently strayed across the frontier in bad weather.
Last week a court in the Turkish border town of Edirne, where the two are being held in a high-security prison, rejected a plea for their release pending further investigation.
Daily chart
The temperature of the ocean is rising
Further improvements in data-gathering technology could improve forecasting of extreme weather events
The Economist
MEASURING the temperature of something as stratified as the ocean has never been easy. Before the 1980s, ships automatically recorded the temperature of water flowing through their ports, but the great depth variance of these ports and the dearth of data outside major shipping routes made the figures incomplete and unreliable. Next came satellites, which were able to capture more surface-temperature data in three months than the total compiled in all the years prior to their advent. Nonetheless, they too have limitations: for example, their infrared sensors are susceptible to cloud contamination.
The temperature of the ocean is rising
Further improvements in data-gathering technology could improve forecasting of extreme weather events
The Economist
MEASURING the temperature of something as stratified as the ocean has never been easy. Before the 1980s, ships automatically recorded the temperature of water flowing through their ports, but the great depth variance of these ports and the dearth of data outside major shipping routes made the figures incomplete and unreliable. Next came satellites, which were able to capture more surface-temperature data in three months than the total compiled in all the years prior to their advent. Nonetheless, they too have limitations: for example, their infrared sensors are susceptible to cloud contamination.
Friday, March 2, 2018
2 Greek soldiers on patrol accidentally stray into Turkey
By Associated Press March 2 at 4:35 AM
The Washington Post
THESSALONIKI, Greece — Greece says two of its soldiers on patrol on the Greek-Turkish border accidentally strayed into Turkey and have been taken to the city of Edirne by Turkish authorities.
The Greek army said Friday the two-man patrol strayed into Turkish territory on Thursday because of bad weather, and that Greek and Turkish authorities were in contact with each other and were undertaking procedures for the two to be returned to Greece.
Most of the Greek-Turkish border is marked by a river, and a fence runs along much of the land section. Some parts, however, aren’t clearly marked, and the area where the soldiers strayed was reportedly in woodland.
Although NATO allies, relations between Greece and Turkey are often strained.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Washington Post
THESSALONIKI, Greece — Greece says two of its soldiers on patrol on the Greek-Turkish border accidentally strayed into Turkey and have been taken to the city of Edirne by Turkish authorities.
The Greek army said Friday the two-man patrol strayed into Turkish territory on Thursday because of bad weather, and that Greek and Turkish authorities were in contact with each other and were undertaking procedures for the two to be returned to Greece.
Most of the Greek-Turkish border is marked by a river, and a fence runs along much of the land section. Some parts, however, aren’t clearly marked, and the area where the soldiers strayed was reportedly in woodland.
Although NATO allies, relations between Greece and Turkey are often strained.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Σκάνδαλο Novartis
Γιατί ξέσπασε το σκάνδαλο, γιατί είναι τόσο σημαντικό; Γιατί τους αρκούν τα λίγα αυτά για να εκτοξεύσουν τόσο ατιμωτικές κατηγορίες; Γιατί ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ διώκει όλους όσους ανέφεραν οι κρυφοί μάρτυρες τους;
Είναι η δίψα για την εξουσία; Είναι και αυτό. Δεν είναι όμως μόνο αυτό.
Είναι γιατί επιτέλους, όπως περιέγραψε ο Βαλδουίνος της Φλάνδρας την άλωση της Κωνσταντινούπολης, ''..., αυτοί που αρνήθηκαν μικρά πράγματα σε μας, μας παρεχώρησαν τα πάντα ως αποτέλεσμα της Θείας Κρίσης...''. Είναι γιατί τώρα πια θα αρπάξουν όλη την εξουσία, τώρα είναι η ευκαιρία τους, τώρα ήρθε η ώρα.
Ακολουθεί η εξήγηση του κ Θανάση Καρτερού. Είναι επικεφαλής του γραφείου του πρωθυπουργού. Μια βαρύνουσα θέση, θεσμικά τουλάχιστον.
Δεν φιλοξενώ την άποψή του επειδή είναι σε αυτή την βαρύνουσα θεσμικά θέση.
Την φιλοξενώ γιατί είναι μια πειστική, για μένα, εξήγηση των όσων συμβαίνουν. ΄
"Στην Αριστερά είμαστε ανέκαθεν επαγγελματίες, κατά κάποιο τρόπο, κατηγορούμενοι. Χιλιάδες και χιλιάδες έχουμε κάτσει στο σκαμνί. Άλλες φορές για ήσσονα αδικήματα, όπως η διατάραξη της τάξεως, η αντίσταση κατά της αρχής, η εξύβριση οργάνων της τάξεως, η εν γένει πεζοδρομιακή δραστηριότητα. Και άλλες φορές με κατηγορίες που οδηγούσαν σε βαριές ποινές, σε ισόβια, ή και στον τοίχο. Αφήστε που πλήθη ανθρώπων βρέθηκαν στα σύρματα χωρίς καμιά δίκη. Έφτανε η απόφαση μιας Επιτροπής Ασφαλείας, στην οποία συμμετείχαν ο κύριος νομάρχης, ο κύριος αστυνόμος, και ο κύριος εισαγγελέας, και άντε να καθαρίσει ο κατηγορούμενος με τη Γυάρο, τον Άι Στράτη, ή τη Μακρόνησο.
Τούτων δοθέντων μπορείς να πεις ότι είμαστε η παράταξη των κατηγορουμένων. Άλλοι έλειωναν παντελόνια στο Χάρβαρντ, κι εμείς τα λειώναμε σε εδώλια δικαστηρίων. Άμα ψάξεις στις γραμμές όλων των αριστερών κομμάτων και σχημάτων, θα είναι είδηση να βρεις κάποιον που δεν πέρασε από τη βάσανο μιας δίκης, ενός κρατητήριου, ή και μιας κλοτσοπατινάδας. Ανυπερθέτως εθνικού χαρακτήρα.
Ελάτε τώρα στη θέση των άλλων. Των απέναντι. Των νομιμοφρόνων. Της ελίτ που ανέδειξε αστυνόμους, ασφαλίτες, εισαγγελείς, υπουργούς, πρωθυπουργούς, στυλοβάτες του καθεστώτος, απηνείς διώκτες κάθε ανατρεπτικού στοιχείου –κόκκινου, ροζ, ακόμα και κίτρινου. Της ελίτ που μας μπαγλάρωνε, μας δίκαζε, μας καταδίκαζε, μας επιφύλασσε κάθε είδους αστυνομικές και δικαστικές περιποιήσεις."
Είναι η δίψα για την εξουσία; Είναι και αυτό. Δεν είναι όμως μόνο αυτό.
Είναι γιατί επιτέλους, όπως περιέγραψε ο Βαλδουίνος της Φλάνδρας την άλωση της Κωνσταντινούπολης, ''..., αυτοί που αρνήθηκαν μικρά πράγματα σε μας, μας παρεχώρησαν τα πάντα ως αποτέλεσμα της Θείας Κρίσης...''. Είναι γιατί τώρα πια θα αρπάξουν όλη την εξουσία, τώρα είναι η ευκαιρία τους, τώρα ήρθε η ώρα.
Ακολουθεί η εξήγηση του κ Θανάση Καρτερού. Είναι επικεφαλής του γραφείου του πρωθυπουργού. Μια βαρύνουσα θέση, θεσμικά τουλάχιστον.
Δεν φιλοξενώ την άποψή του επειδή είναι σε αυτή την βαρύνουσα θεσμικά θέση.
Την φιλοξενώ γιατί είναι μια πειστική, για μένα, εξήγηση των όσων συμβαίνουν. ΄
"Στην Αριστερά είμαστε ανέκαθεν επαγγελματίες, κατά κάποιο τρόπο, κατηγορούμενοι. Χιλιάδες και χιλιάδες έχουμε κάτσει στο σκαμνί. Άλλες φορές για ήσσονα αδικήματα, όπως η διατάραξη της τάξεως, η αντίσταση κατά της αρχής, η εξύβριση οργάνων της τάξεως, η εν γένει πεζοδρομιακή δραστηριότητα. Και άλλες φορές με κατηγορίες που οδηγούσαν σε βαριές ποινές, σε ισόβια, ή και στον τοίχο. Αφήστε που πλήθη ανθρώπων βρέθηκαν στα σύρματα χωρίς καμιά δίκη. Έφτανε η απόφαση μιας Επιτροπής Ασφαλείας, στην οποία συμμετείχαν ο κύριος νομάρχης, ο κύριος αστυνόμος, και ο κύριος εισαγγελέας, και άντε να καθαρίσει ο κατηγορούμενος με τη Γυάρο, τον Άι Στράτη, ή τη Μακρόνησο.
Τούτων δοθέντων μπορείς να πεις ότι είμαστε η παράταξη των κατηγορουμένων. Άλλοι έλειωναν παντελόνια στο Χάρβαρντ, κι εμείς τα λειώναμε σε εδώλια δικαστηρίων. Άμα ψάξεις στις γραμμές όλων των αριστερών κομμάτων και σχημάτων, θα είναι είδηση να βρεις κάποιον που δεν πέρασε από τη βάσανο μιας δίκης, ενός κρατητήριου, ή και μιας κλοτσοπατινάδας. Ανυπερθέτως εθνικού χαρακτήρα.
Ελάτε τώρα στη θέση των άλλων. Των απέναντι. Των νομιμοφρόνων. Της ελίτ που ανέδειξε αστυνόμους, ασφαλίτες, εισαγγελείς, υπουργούς, πρωθυπουργούς, στυλοβάτες του καθεστώτος, απηνείς διώκτες κάθε ανατρεπτικού στοιχείου –κόκκινου, ροζ, ακόμα και κίτρινου. Της ελίτ που μας μπαγλάρωνε, μας δίκαζε, μας καταδίκαζε, μας επιφύλασσε κάθε είδους αστυνομικές και δικαστικές περιποιήσεις."
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Greece enters final round of reform talks with creditors
The Washington Post
By Associated Press February 26 at 11:21 AM
ATHENS, Greece — Greece entered a last round of reform talks with creditors Monday, just five months before the country’s massive rescue program ends — and with the government and central bank publicly disagreeing on how to finance the nation after the bailout.
Government officials said the talks with representatives of Greece’s European partners and the International Monetary Fund in Athens would cover privatizations and energy.
But the negotiations were upstaged by a continued spat between Greece’s central bank governor, Yannis Stournaras, and the government over financing policies after the bailout runs out in August. The country will then have to raise money from international investors in bond markets — at a much higher rate than bailout creditors charge.
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