Mediaboss Marketing

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan has called for better cooperation in the field of energy and more connectivity among member states to strengthen the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

Speaking at the 13th ECO Summit in the Pakistani capital Islamabad Wednesday, Erdoan said Turkey would support all initiatives aimed at realization of such an objective.

The president said despite the fact the ECO includes more than 6 percent of the world's total population, its share in global trade is a mere 2 percent.

First of all, we have to take steps to increase intra-trade among member states. Activating the ECO trade agreement is an important means for the liberalization of trade among us," Erdogan said.

He said the over 400-million population of the 10-nation bloc has great potential.

The ECO also represents our common values, deep-rooted history and brotherhood. The summit gives us a very important opportunity to look at the general picture of the organizationsee our deficiencies and strengthen our vision accordingly," the president said.

He also called for reforms in the ECO, especially in terms of strengthening the member states' human resources, and a mechanism for ownership of projects and budgets.

Erdogan also highlighted the need for greater cooperation in environmental, agricultural and tourism sectors.

He said Turkey has carried out many large-scale transportation projects such as Istanbul's Marmaray, Eurasia Tunnel, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Osman Gazi Bridge, and high-speed rail lines, which have strengthened the transportation capacity of not only Turkey but also ECO members.

He said member states need to work hand-in-hand to overcome regional problems.

- Iran's Rouhani backs ECO

In his speech, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the ECO can play a vital role in building the economic future of the region, but he too called for restructuring of the organization.

"Connectivity will help development and prosperity in the region," Rouhani said.

Mustafa Akinci, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus which has an observer status in the bloc, said his country wants to contribute more effectively to the organization's work. He asked the ECO for its support in tourism and education sectors.

"We want to find a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus issue," Akinci added.

- Vision 2025

The ECO's 13th summit concluded after the leaders adopted the Islamabad Declaration and Vision 2025, which called for greater regional cooperation and integration over the next decade.

Speaking later at a press conference, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the ECO Vision-2025 sets pragmatic and realistic goals along with listing an implementation framework.

Sharif said the 13th summit emphasizes on the need for regional cooperation in the energy field, focus on infrastructure development and intra-regional energy corridors.

ECO has taken important steps to promote connectivity and regional trade and tourism, Sharif added.

China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui also joined the summit and put emphasis on connectivity.

Strict security measures were taken in Islamabad for the summit. All main roads leading to the summit venue had been closed off to traffic. A public holiday was also declared in the capital due to the summit.

The ECO was founded by Turkey, Iran and Pakistan in 1985. In 1992, the organization expanded to include seven new members, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoan has vowed to increase trade between Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) countries by upgrading air, land and sea transport. "My country is ready for any innovation that may increase the trade volume because we are giving big importance to the 2023 targets of Turkey," Erdoan said during the 13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit that opened on Wednesday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Erdoan also called on ECO countries to take bigger steps, adding that political approaches are closely associated with investments.Erdoan arrives in Pakistan to attend economic summit "I also believe that it is important to touch on the problems that Azerbaijani is facing due to the Armenian occupation in Nagorno-Karabakh," Erdoan said. "The Armenia occupation continues despite 20 years of diplomatic efforts. We should propose this issue for the agenda more often and take determined steps as the Islamic Cooperation Organization," he said. Erdoan also mentioned the significance of ECO member countries' role in stopping bloodshed, particularly in Syria, Iraq and Yemen Leaders from Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are attending the summit.Erdoan welcomed to Pakistan with official ceremony The ECO was established in 1985 by Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan. It succeeded the Regional Cooperation for Development, which was founded in 1964 to promote cooperation among member states. In 1992, the organization welcomed seven new members: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. The Treaty of Izmir, signed in 1977 and subsequently amended in 1996, was the group's legal foundation. Following Erdogan's arrival, the ECO Council of Ministers issued a statement on the adoption of the ECO Vision 2025, which will serve as a guideline for the organization's medium-term strategy.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan arrived in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Tuesday evening to attend the 13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit, state-run Pakistan Television said.The live broadcast showed Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal receive Erdoan at the Noor Khan air base following a 21-gun salute. First Lady Emine Erdoan also accompanied the president. The summit will open Wednesday. Erdoan was also presented with a guard of honor by a contingent from the Pakistani armed forces. He is due to meet heads of states and representatives from ECO member states on the sidelines of the summit.He later met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan separately.Leaders from Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are attending the summit, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told Anadolu Agency. The ECO was established in 1985 by Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan. It succeeded the Regional Cooperation for Development, which was founded in 1964 to promote cooperation among member states. In 1992, the organization had welcomed seven new members: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. The Treaty of Izmir, signed in 1977 and subsequently amended in 1996, was the group's legal foundation. Following Erdogan's arrival, the ECO Council of Ministers issued a statement on the adoption of ECO Vision 2025, which will serve as a guideline for the organization's medium-term strategy.

Relations between Pakistan and Turkey are excellent" and will deepen with a coming free-trade agreement (FTA) a senior Pakistani official said on Tuesday. A long-pending FTA between the two nations is in the final stages, Sartaj Aziz told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of a foreign ministers' meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Islamabad. Trade volume between the two countries stood at around $610 million in 2016, with exports from Turkey recorded at $346 million and imports from Pakistan at $263 million, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Commenting on claims ECO cooperation had not reached optimal levels, Aziz said a lack of resources to build infrastructure was being discussed. According to Aziz, China's One Belt, One Road initiative will help the organization achieve its objectives. The ECO was founded by Turkey, Iran and Pakistan in 1985. In 1992, the organization expanded to include seven new members, namely Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Speaking at the ECO foreign ministers' meeting earlier on Tuesday, Aziz said a lack of regional connectivity was a major impediment to economic cooperation. He said joint efforts were needed to transform the ECO into a formidable economic bloc through full exploitation of its resources. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to arrive to Islamabad late on Tuesday to attend the 13th summit of the 10 ECO countries on Wednesday.

Read the rest here:
Erdoan in Pakistan urges closer ties among ECO states - Yeni afak English

Recep Tayyip Erdoan and Angela Merkel in 2012. The Turkish president has increasingly cracked down on press freedom. Photograph: Michael Sohn/AP

Angela Merkel is facing calls to ban the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoan, from entering Germany while a German journalist continues to be held in an Istanbul prison.

Erdoan, who campaigned in Germany in 2011 and 2014, was rumoured to be planning a political rally to secure the symbolically important diaspora votebefore Aprils referendum in Turkey on giving him greater powers.

But Merkels government is under increasing pressure from German coalition and opposition parties to stand up to the Turkish president after the Turkey correspondent of Die Welt newspaper, Deniz Ycel, last month became the first German citizen to be arrested as part of Erdogans crackdown on the press.

Ralf Jger, the interior minister of North-Rhine Westphalia and a member of the Social Democratic party that forms a coalition with Merkels CDU, called on the government to ensure that such rallies take place neither in North-Rhine Westphalia or elsewhere in Germany. Stephan Mayer, of the Bavarian party CSU, said a Turkish president who imprisoned German journalists was not welcome as a guest in Germany.

Sevim Dadelen, a Left party MP with Kurdish origins, said Merkel had a political duty and the legal means to stop the Turkish head of state from campaigning on German soil for the abolition of democracy and the introduction of the death penalty.

Austria has already told Erdogan he is not welcome to campaign for votes amongst the Turkish diaspora in the country, with foreign minister Sebastian Kurz saying in a statement that we clearly reject bringing the Turkish campaign and polarisation to Austria.

But on Wednesday Merkels spokesman said a ban would send the wrong signal.

Steffen Seibert said: The German government deplores the fact that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are currently limited in Turkey to an unacceptable degree.

If we deplore this in another country, then we should be even more alert to make sure that freedom of speech is respected, within the framework of the law, in our own country. We should demonstrate what we demand from others.

Niels Annen, the Social Democrats foreign policy spokesman, praised the governments decision to rule out a ban but said the current diplomatic crisis was a result of the German chancellor letting the refugee swap deal between Turkey and the EU influence her dealings with Erdoan. Merkel is no longer a believable advocate for democracy and the rule of law in Turkey, he said.

In the referendum on 18 April, the Turkish public will vote on proposed changes that would boost the powers of the president, allowing Erdoan to scrap the post of prime minister, control budgets, appoint more judges and stay in office for two more terms.

The support of the Turkish diaspora in Germany, a community of about 1.4 million people, holds an important symbolic significance to Erdoans party. Pictures of German stadiums filled with pro-Erdoan supporters allow the AKP to project itself back to Turkey as the one party that protects Turks around the world, said Alexander Clarkson, a researcher on the interaction between German politics and migrant communities at Kings College London.

In reality, he said, the impression of overwhelming support for Erdoan among Turks living in Germany is a statistical card trick. Clarkson added: Of those with Turkish roots entitled to vote at the last election, only 40% turned out to the polling booth, of which 60% voted for Erdoan. Many diaspora Turks in Germany are indifferent to Turkish politics, if not actively hostile to the current president.

TGD, an association that represents a large part of the Turkish community in Germany, has announced that it will campaign for a no vote in the referendum, stating in a resolution that it rejects all attempts to turn the country into a one-man regime.

Continue reading here:
Angela Merkel urged to ban Erdoan over jailed German journalist - The Guardian

Express.co.uk

Why some German politicians want Erdogan banned BBC News "German-Turkey relations are facing one of their greatest challenges of the modern era," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said, a day after a German-Turkish journalist was formally charged in Turkey with producing terrorist propaganda and ... Merkel BLASTS president Erdogan's 'bitter and disappointing' regime for journalist arrestExpress.co.uk Merkel Risks Tension With Erdogan Over Turkish Reporter's ArrestBloomberg Die Welt reporter Deniz Ycel arrested over stories on Erdoan's son-in-lawTurkey Purge Albuquerque Journal -malaysiandigest.com -Deutsche Welle all 85 news articles »

View post:
Why some German politicians want Erdogan banned - BBC News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he delivers a speech during a city planning meeting in Ankara on January 27th 2017. Photo: AFP

Turkey has slammed Austria's "double standard" and "irresponsible" approach to potential campaigning by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the EU member state ahead of April's referendum.

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Erdogan is "not welcome" to hold campaign events, adding that it would "increase friction" in Austria and prevent the integration of a 360,000-strong minority of Turkish origin.

"We do not accept those irresponsible comments that exceed their limits andthe distorted mentality," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglusaid in a statement lateon Monday.

Kurz's comments are a "new example of a biased and double standardapproach", he added.

Turkey will hold anApril 16threferendum on changing the constitution togive Erdogan an executive presidency along the lines of that in France or inthe United States.

The Turkish government says the changes would bring stability whileopponents fear it would hugely boost Erdogan's powers and drag Turkey intoone-man rule.

Speaking in Viennaon Monday, Kurz said his government was clearly againstbringing the "the Turkish campaign and (the resulting) polarisation to Austria" in remarks deemed as "worrying" by the Turkish foreign ministry.

Read the rest here:
Turkey angry after Erdogan is told he can't campaign in Austria - The Local Austria

This is the third in a series of articles based in part on eyewitness accounts about the rapidly deteriorating socio-political conditions in Turkey and what the future may hold for the country. The first and second articles are available here: First, Second.

Anyone who follows Turkish President Erdogans political career cannot escape the conclusion that he has carefully and systematically crafted policies framed in Islamic clothing. He uses religion to present himself and his political agenda as if it is being sanctioned by a higher authority, surreptitiously uses Islamic symbols to indoctrinate the population with religious precepts, and promotes Islamic studies in schools in order to cultivate a new generation of devout Muslims loyal to him.

To consolidate his powers, he focused on economic development to build a strong constituency consisting of the poorer and less-educated segments of the Turkish population who support him and follow his model of political Islam. He trumpets democracy to pay lip-service to the secular sector of the population to reduce resistance to his attempt to convert Turkey into an Islamic state.

There is nothing wrong in promoting any religion in a democracy, provided there is a clear separation between church and state. In Turkey, though, Erdogan is making religion part and parcel of the states political process. In fact, as early as 1999 Erdogan went to jail for 4 months for religious incitement after he publicly read a nationalist poem including the lines: The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers. Erdogans notion that Turkey provides a model of Islamic democracy is an empty slogan, as it no longer resonates domestically or among any Arab or Muslim state.

The fact that Turkey has lost any prospect of becoming an EU member was entirely due to Erdogans severe and methodical undermining of the pillars on which democracy rests, including free press and speech, human rights, a fair and impartial judiciary, secular public education, and checks and balances between the three branches of government.

To promote his social-cultural Islamic agenda, Erdogan began to systematically issue directives to gradually transform Turkey into a religiously-observant society. He did so without resorting to legislation in order to avoid public resistance from the larger secular segment of the population. To that end, he began to introduce Islamic teaching and images into the public consciousness, as well as build religious institutions, to indoctrinate the population with religious precepts.

As early as 2011, Erdogan began to foster an Islamic fashion revolution. He lifted the ban on headscarves in universities, and women who work in state offices and policewomen are now able to wear headscarves, along with women who serve in the military. The once-stigmatized veil has become socially acceptable. There is a discernible rise in the number of fashionable Islamic conservative characters in soap operas, and the portrayal of women as housewives is becoming increasingly prevalent.

Moreover, the modern emblem of Turkey today shows the star outside the crescent which has become the symbol of Islam like the cross is to Christianity. The fast-growing number of mosques offers another vivid symbol of where the country is heading. During the past 30 years, the number of mosques in Turkey has grown from 60,000 to more than 85,000. The AKP uses mosques as a physical symbol of the growth of Islamic values of the state and as a political tool to consolidate its power base.

Perhaps the greatest manifestation of this is the newest, largest mosque in Turkey with six minarets, built on amlica Hill in Istanbul, which is the citys highest point reaching about 1,000 feet above sea level. The site overlooks the Bosphorus in clear view of the entire city.

In addition, alcohol cannot be sold between 10pm and 6am, and can no longer be displayed in windows and restaurants that are located near schools or mosques. Alcohol producers cannot advertise or sponsor social events. Furthermore, the government canceled a festival celebrating the national drink, raki, due to complaints from Islamists, which Erdogan more than welcomed.

In recent years, the Turkish government under Erdogans leadership took many new initiatives to push Islam deeper into the countrys secular education to cultivate a new Islamic generation. The plan included the building of 80 new mosques in public universities, and converting one university in Istanbul into a center for Islamic studies. Erdogan further supported the introduction of compulsory religious classes for all primary school children, and added an extra hour of Islamic studies for all high school students.

One of the most notable expansions of Islamic studies is found in the growth of Imam-Hatip religious schools, where since 2010 the number of schools increased by 90%, from 493 to 936, and the number of students enrolled grew from 65,000 in 2002 to nearly a million by 2016.

Batuhan Aydagl, the Director of the Education Reform Initiative at Istanbul Sabanci University, maintains that the Ministry of Education is driving the demand for these schools, not responding to it. The government is limiting the supply of non-religious schools and increasing the supply of religious onesthey are creating a situation where some students will have to go to these schools regardless of their will.

Parents and teachers are bitterly complaining that Ankara is controlling the appointment of head-teachers who enjoy substantial influence on the selection of courses. Several thousand public school teachers were replaced by Imam-Hatip trained teachers. Boys and girls are in separate classes, presumably to create an environment conducive to better leaning.

Kamuran Karaca, the president of the left-wing Egitim Sen teachers union, put it succinctly when he said: the [AK Party] is using our children for its own ideology this is a political project for creating a religious generation. They are forcing students to learn Arabic, the Quran and its interpretation in Sunni Islam.

Those who have been imbued with Imam-Hatip learning experiences claim that these schools produce people who are more virtuous, work harder, and excel in their professions. They point to the fact that Erdogan himself was a graduate of an Imam-Hatip school. In a speech to the assembly of AKP youth members in 2012, Erdogan stated that We want to raise pious generations.

Erdogan uses religion to present his political agenda as being sanctioned by a higher authority, his Islamic credentials to intimidate the opposition, and the Gulen movement as a scapegoat to promote his brand of Islamism. Fundamentally, Erdogan sees himself as a religious man, i.e. God created the circumstances for him to purge at will any of his fictitious or real political opponents, convincing himself that he is on the right and true path.

During the Ottoman reign, religion played a critical role in governing (a lesson that does not seem to be lost on Erdogan), as was observed by Baruch Spinoza, who in his Theological-Political Treatise stated that .they [the Turks] consider even controversy impious, and so clog mens minds with dogmatic formulas, that they leave no room for sound reason, not even enough to doubt with.

During the debate in the parliament to amend the constitution, Speaker of the Parliament Ismail Kahraman called for the removal of secularism from the new constitution: For one thing, the new constitution should not have secularism. It needs to discuss religion It should not be irreligious, this new constitution, it should be a religious constitution.

Although Kahramans proposals did not pass, it is clear that no such statement would have been made unless it expressed Erdogans sentiment. Essentially, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Erdogans goal is to become the ultimate leader of his country and the Islamic Sunni world. In a visit to Jakarta in July 2016, Erdogan stated that We have only one concern. It is Islam, Islam and Islam. And in recent visits to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, he sent a message to the Sunni world to unite and put differences aside to fight violations against the Muslim world.

To become the supreme political and religious leader, Erdogan has relentlessly pushed to amend the constitution to grant him near-absolute power for which he needs popular support, and he uses religion to garner this support to promote his political agenda. In this way, he sanctifies his policies, and placed himself at the highest political and religious pedestal. As Napoleon succinctly put it, Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet.

Religion is meant to provide a moral and ethical compass to promote amity, compassion, empathy, and love, and create social harmony and peace. To be a true Muslim is to adhere to these tenets of the Quranic scripture and follow the pillars of Islam. Thus, no one should be free to exploit religion for the promotion of ones personal ambition, which, in this case, reduces the sacredness of Islam to the level of the human travails and empties it of its holistic spiritual meanings.

A man of faith does not debase the nobility of Islam to promote a personal political agenda in the name of God. A religious man does not imprison tens of thousands of civil servants and leave their families despairing and desolate. A pious man does not purge thousands of teachers without any evidence of wrongdoing. A true believer does not incarcerate scores of journalists, which stifles freedom of the press and silences dissenting voices. A devout man does not subjugate millions of fellow citizensthe Kurdsand rob them of their basic rights to experience their cultural heritage. A virtuous man does not build a White Palace for hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars while millions of Turks languish in abject poverty. A righteous man does not create a police state and use an iron fist to quell peaceful demonstrations. And finally, a spiritual man does not choke-off the spirit of others, trample on their dignity, and stamp out their pride.

Islam and democracy are not mutually exclusive as long as there is a clear separation between mosque and state. Imams have a role to play in promoting the virtues of Islam, but should have no say on the political processes of the state. For Erdogan to claim that Turkey is a democracy is hypocritical at best, not only because he usurped dictatorial powers but also because he weaved his religious doctrine into the state institutions and intimidated the civil society to join the ranks of his false piety.

Whereas Erdogan insists that Islam offers a purer way of life and creates social cohesiveness that brings prosperity and happiness, he is in fact raising social tension in Turkey by his relentless promulgation of his own brand of Islam to buttress his political agenda. The country has become increasingly polarized between the secular and the religious, which places Turkey on a dangerous path and robs it of its potential to become a true Islamic democracy.

Continued here:
Erdogan Exploits Islam For Personal And Political Gain - Huffington Post