Turkey’s new army chief Gen. Ilker Basbug signaled Tuesday a new era has started regarding the relations between the military and the media.
Chief Of Staff Meets With A Select Group Of Media Organs
BİA – İstanbul,Turkey
Sedat Ergin, chief editor of the newspaper Milliyet, told that they had asked the chief of staff what their accreditation criteria regarding the newspapers
Erdal Eren, a high school kid, was one of the executeds…
Sept. 12: Military coup, violence, torture, executions and lost generations.
Yesterday was the 28th anniversary of a bloody military coup that took place on Sept. 12, 1980, the effects and vestiges of which still cast a dark cloud over Turkish politics.
PM Erdoğan promised to open up new files by this weekend. As the deadline gets closer, no side seems to be backing off. Today Hürriyet’s chief editor, Ertuğrul Özkök replied back/threatened angrily in NTV channel. Once again I have to underline: This is not a case of freedom of speech. Only this media mogul’s own papers (and plus the staunchly Kemalist, Cumhuriyet) support their bosses at the moment…
What is Lighthouse e.V? Lighthouse e.V. was a Germany-based charity foundation that operated between March, 2001 and April, 2007. Its director Mehmet Gürhan, his successor Mehmet Taşkan and
[Originally published in Turkish Daily News] Did you know that the Turkish military sees postmodernism as a “threat” that should be fought against? We all learned that about a week ago when the new Commander of Land Forces, Gen. Işık Koşaner, made a speech which summarized all the enemies that the Turkish Armed Forces despise. These included the usual groups: “Separatists,” religious orders, and “unpatriotic” circles. But the latter included a new cadre of treacherous citizens: “the post-modernists.” The high-brow general openly stated: “The propaganda network that consists of a postmodern clique of some media, academics, finance circles and NGOs are working in order to weaken and disintegrate national unity and national values.” He also added that these “postmodern” traitors are “manipulated by global powers.”
Turkey’s main opposition parties were reluctant to read a key document detailing the country’s National Program, prepared by the government to present to the European Union. The program……
Better luck next time, Ukraine.
One of these days the EU powers that be are going to realise that when you’ve got countries torn between a European and non-European identity, to keep on telling them “sorry, you’re not European enough yet” is just going to drive them into the other camp.
How much longer are the likes of Ukraine and Turkey going to put up with these repeated, very public rejections before heading off to the waiting embrace of Moscow or non-secular Islamism?
Growing migration is putting strains on rich and poor economies alike, according to the OECD.
When we set off for Yerevan on a scheduled midnight Armavia flight this Thursday, we saw something we had not seen since long ago on a flight between İstanbul and Yerevan. Instead of men and women carrying several bags, probably goods to be sold in Armenia, as is customary on these biweekly scheduled fights, there were a number of journalists from the Turkish press.
I thought after yesterday’s speech Mr. Erdoğan would not talk back immediately, and i spent the day out without recognizing today’s speech until the evening. Well, Mr. Erdoğan gives "1 week" to correct the false news disseminated by Doğan group dailies. Mr. Doğan replied back in Kanal D to declare that his media will not be an obedient media in sum. I found Mr. Doğan a little bit scared. But only a little bit. He has a giant media empire, his journalists occupy many Press institutions, his daughter is the head of powerful businessman association, TUSIAD. Although he said last night "all state institutions belong to AKP, they can finish us easily, we know that things do not work like that. A leftist TV channel, Hayat TV was closed nearly all summer and no body could help that but DMG is not a small marginal media group and dynamics of politics is much more complicated. Never politically correct Mr. Erdoğan waited for more than 2 years to attack back, and only after the Constitutional Court case, he felt more secure to start the battle.
Mr. Erdoğan claimed that Mr. Doğan visited him and requested some privileges for the Hilton Hotel site located in near the super valuable Taksim square. (In tonight’s interview at Kanal D, Aydın Doğan said "of course, we always have requests from the government, we do lots of business and we have needs to discuss] When he was rejected, DMG dailies began to attack. DMG is known to request some sort of airwave rights for CNN Turk. That is also refused. After tens of TV channels, anti-trust laws do not allow him for more airwave but Mr. Doğan wants more basically. Anyway, we will see new files to be opened in the next few days. In the mean time, in today’s papers Abdullah Gül’s visit to Armeania and the "battle" news competed in headlines. DMG’s flagship Hürriyet replied back. Milliyet also. [circulation report of dailies are given in the end]
DMG’s newly acquired furiously anti-AKP Vatan columnists charged their weapons like the ones above:
After a corruption case whose details given below, DMG papers and CHP started a new wave of attack against AKP and its leadership. As usual Milliyet leads the accusations. As far as I remember PM Tayyip Erdoğan uttered the name of "Aydın Doğan" for the first time and he accused him of not having moral … Read more
Map showing the Turkish areas that were inhabited by Armenians in 1915. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has made a historic trip to Armenia to watch a football match and try to tackle decades of animosity between the estranged neighbours.
(AFP Graphic)
President Abdullah Gül is traveling to Armenia for a historic visit; Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is off to Syria for Middle East talks; direct negotiations are taking place between leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, and the foreign minister of Turkey’s neighbor and former rival Greece declares herself hopeful that the two sides will eventually reach a settlement; and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently visited Turkey.
Can Soccer Heal Turkey-Armenia Rift? – TIME
The Ergenekon case is still shaking Turkey. Most recently, the visit paid on behalf of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) by Kocaeli Garrison Commander Lt. Gen. Galip Mendi to retired generals Şener Eruygur and Hurşit Tolon, who are being held in Kandıra Prison in connection with the case, has added a new dimension to the issue.
Turkey’s national soccer team coach Fatih Terim talks during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008. Turkey will play Armenia in a World Cup qualifier in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Sept. 6.
(AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)
* A Clash song.
Latif Demirci. 2 September 2008 Hürriyet VIA
RT Erdoğan: "you are attending the game in Erivan, ok?
A. Gül: "oh I don’t know. Would that be right?
As President Abdullah Gül continues to consider whether to accept an invitation from his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, to go to Yerevan to watch a World Cup qualifying game between the national teams of the two countries, debates have intensified over the possible consequences of his Yerevan visit.
Turkey’s new Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug, center, is flanked by President Abdullah Gul, right, and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, during the Victory Day reception in Ankara, Turkey, late Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008. The celebrations marking an 86-year-old victory over Greece which was considered crucial in Turkish Independence War which led to the foundation of modern Turkish republic.
(AP Photo)
Today, telecommunications technology, globalization and increased education have transformed Turkey and provided it a level of transparency, leading many people to not be convinced by demagogic rhetoric.
Turkey is trying to tread a fine line of diplomacy between Russia and the West. As an American ally, Turkey has trained and partially equipped the Georgian armed forces under American guidance that aimed to encircle growing Russian power in the Caucasus.