EU signals displeasure with Israel
from FT.com – World, Europe
The European Union signals its displeasure with Israel by denouncing the use of forged European passports in the killing of a Hamas commander in Dubai
israel
Turkey and Armeania, one step back-again
In the last round, relations got worse but I believe this is just another (negative) step in many steps to come… A roundup on Turkish foreign policy… Historic efforts to establish ties between Armenia and Turkey may break down, the Armenian foreign minister warned on Friday, blaming Ankara for obstructing the process. (AFP/Graphic/Paz Pizarro) A … Read more
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs- hi-tech
Zeynep Gürcanlı of Hürriyet has a good piece on Turkish Foreign Ministry‘s use of web. All consulates are connected with advanced networking tools… Not only policy change but hi-tech accompanies the Ministry… It is in Turkish but Google translate can help… A roundup follows:
A moment of national unity in Turkey thanks to Ayalon
Israel ‘sorry’ over Turkey snub; Israel apologises to Turkey in a bid to defuse a row over the treatment of Turkey’s envoy in Tel Aviv. Except Zaman daily, all newspapers from the left to the right, from the most pro-AKP to most anti-AKP, today had headlines against the diplomatic scandal made by Israil FM leadership… … Read more
Lieberman and Ayalon, Israeli FM duo, will cause more trouble for Israel herself…
Apparently Mr. Ayalon acted not diplomatically and triggered another tense phase btw Turkey and Israel. Not that PM Erdoğan is innocent and nothing new about his position but Israeli Foreign Ministry leadership, Lieberman and Ayalon, seem to have started a crusade against Turkey recently. A crusade destined to fail, I think…
Turkish dailies display this photo of meeting with the Turkish ambassador and Israeli vice FM minister and are angry with Ayalon (L)’s arrogant attitude. Ambassador was hosted like this…
Foreign Ministry: Israel did not mean to humiliate Turkey envoy (Ha’aretz):
During the meeting, Turkey’s ambassador was seated in a low sofa, and facing him, in higher chairs, were Ayalon and two other officials – an arrangement carried out at Lieberman’s orders.
A photo-op was held at the start of the meeting, during which Ayalon told the photographers in Hebrew: “Pay attention that he is sitting in a
lower chair and we are in the higher ones, that there is only an Israeli flag on the table and that we are not smiling.”…
Israeli officials: Liberman wants to keep tense ties with Turkey
Meanwhile, ministry sources said Monday that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was trying to stop Defense Minister Ehud Barak from visiting to Turkey next week, in order to keep up the recent tensions between the two allied countries.
Mavi Boncuk: EU and "ahde vefa" [pacta sunt servanda]
EU and “ahde vefa”
The recommendation adopted by the European Commission on July 15 2009 allows the citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia with biometric passports to enter the Schengen area visa-free from January 2010
Mavi Boncuk |
Pacta sunt servanda L./Ahde vefa TR /agreements must be kept ENG., is a basic principle of civil law and of international law.
( EU must explain this part to Turkey)
In its most common sense, the principle refers to private contracts, stressing that contained clauses are law between the parties, and implies that non-fulfilment of respective obligations is a breach of the pact. The general principle of correct behaviour in commercial praxis ? and implies the bona fide ? is a requirement for the efficacy of the whole system, so the eventual disorder is sometimes punished by the law of some systems even without any direct penalty incurred by any of the parties.
EU Places Early Member Candidates at Head of Line, Snubbing Turkey
from Kamil Pasha by Jenny White
The EU lifted visa restrictions Saturday for citizens from Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro, even though these are in the early stages of the EU membership process, while not extending this Schengen privilege to Turkey, which began accession talks in 2005 and has opened 11 out of 35 chapters in its membership negotiations. Turkey protested and has asked to be included in the Schengen regime, pointing out that, of the Balkan states affected, only Macedonia has attained the status of EU candidate. Serbia has yet to submit a formal application and its entry has been stalled due to its failure to arrest ex-Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, who has been charged with war crimes in the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica and the siege of Sarajevo.
Trust in EU drops in Turkey: Survey [ WORLD BULLETIN- TURKEY NEWS, WORLD NEWS ]
Late night Google Wave wavings
Google Wave has some potential for group debates. Still there is much to discover and there is much to be done by Google. But I feel like, as a group of friends tonight, we have had a good conversational space there for the first time. In the mean time, we are not only ones to fantasize, here Turkish government has its own version of fantasy:
Turkey?s state Telecommunications authority asks Youtube to create Turkish version: ?
Turkeys telecommunications authority has reportedly asked famous video-sharing website Youtube to launch its Turkish version to be unblocked in the country.?
What happens if the Dutch delegation does not come because Turks do not want a racist, useless, criminal-minded b*****d included in the delegation?
Nothing happens except the Dutch loses…
Turkey say NO to Wilders
from Internation Musing: Istanbul, Athens, Amsterdam, Patra, Utrecht, by Internation Musing
Turkey has announced that a Dutch parliamentary delegation will not be welcome if it includes Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders. Turkish ministers and MPs will refuse to meet the entire delegation if Wilders is among them. A spokesperson for the Turkish foreign ministry says: ?This man has racist ideas. We fear his presence would overshadow the visit?. The popular Turkish daily Aksam was the first to report the news on yesterday: ?Tension over Mozart?, the paper?s headline read, apparently referring to the Freedom Party leader?s exotic hairdo.
Part II in pro-Ergenekon lobby at work in NYT…
NYT continues to embark on a shameful mission. Probably due to tensions between Turkey and Israel, NYT began to hit at Turkey’s probably the grandest trial for further democratization. Yesterday Mr. Bilefsky’s NYT article re-apperead on the Ergenekon trial: In Turkey, Trial Casts Wide Net of Mistrust
The article is built on already notarious sources who aims at destroying the trial from the outset (including Süheyl Batum, a law professor from Bahçeşehir U)
Turkish Foreign Policy roundup.
More moves on the Eastern front…
EDITORS’ NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) shakes hands with Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting in Tehran October 27, 2009.
REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi
Foreign Policy Moods as of Thursday morning: Super with Armenia, getting better with Azerbaijan and slightly better with Israel
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addresses the Parliament to inform lawmakers on Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan relations in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. Turkey’s government faced stiff opposition in parliament on Wednesday over its landmark agreement to improve ties with Armenia by establishing diplomatic relations and opening their sealed border. Davutoglu also explained that Turkey, which shares ethnic and cultural bonds with Azerbaijan, wants a peaceful settlement to the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. an Armenian-occupied enclave in Azerbaijan that has been a center of regional tensions.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Judge Goldstone advises Israel to come to grips with the substance of the report
“In Gaza, I was surprised and shocked by the destruction and misery there. I had not expected it. I did not anticipate that the IDF would have targeted civilians and civilian objects. I did not anticipate seeing the vast destruction of the economic infrastructure of Gaza including its agricultural lands, industrial factories, water supply and sanitation works. These are not military targets. I have not heard or read any government justification for this destruction.
Israel helps Ayrılık to increase its ratings?
The photo below has to be included here. From the Turkey-Armenia game. As far as I understood it was an operation by Young Civilians.
In the crisis between Israel and Turkey it should be noted Israel reacted too much to a serial that was not popular at all. I haven’t heard anybody discussing Ayrılık episodes. And as far as I know the serial was not in the top 100 ratings list. Now I hear producers are happy that people will be curious and watch the serial. There had to be a stronger reaction to Valley of the Wolves movie who had a substantive anti-semitic emphasis in some parts. Ayrılık hadonce made it to popular discourse through what Zeynep Tokuş , an actress and former beauty pageant winner was wearing:
A roundup follows:
Turkey vs. Israel. Again. Turkey does not back down.
FM Davutoğlu has just stated that TRT is an autonomous institution and they cannot intervene. But this of course should mean Turkey cannot than be angry at other countries’ governments about anti-Turkish or anti-Islamic stuff. (Such as in the Danish Cartoon Crisis? )
Latest Crisis roundup:
TURKEY 2009 PROGRESS REPORT
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT
TURKEY 2009 PROGRESS REPORT
accompanying the
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL
Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2009-2010
And another roundup on Turkey’s foreign policy issues and its place in Europe: