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Recep Tayyip Erdogan: the President of Turkey

Turkey's Erdogan to discuss U.S. strains when Biden takes office

ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said he would discuss strained U.S. relations with President-elect Joe Biden when he takes office, playing down the possibility of sanctions over Turkey’s purchase of Russian missile defence systems.

Bilateral ties have been hit by Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems, differences in policy on Syria and the detention of U.S. consulate employees and citizens in Turkey.

“We don’t find the statements they (the U.S. administration) make and the actions they take regarding our arms procurements to be nice. We especially don’t find their approach in northern Syria to be right,” Erdogan said.

Speaking to reporters before traveling to Azerbaijan, he said that it was too early to comment on the incoming U.S. administration under Biden, who has criticised Erdogan’s policies.

“Let Mr Biden take office. Once he assumes office, we will surely sit down and discuss certain things with Mr Biden. Just like we sat and talked in the United States or Turkey in the past, we will discuss these again,” he said.

Ankara’s purchase last year of the S-400s from Moscow raised the prospect of U.S. sanctions early next year if Congress approves a defence spending bill including language requiring the president to sanction Turkey. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Tuesday.

“In diplomacy, a path is found to these issues by talking and meeting. (...) I believe we will manage this period very differently with the United States,” Erdogan said, playing down the prospect of sanctions.

https://www.reuters.com/article/tur...strains-when-biden-takes-office-idUSKBN28J18B
 
Erdogan says U.S. sanctions would 'disrespect' Turkey

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday U.S. sanctions over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missiles would be disrespectful to a NATO ally, after sources said Washington was poised to take the step likely to further strain relations.

The report of imminent U.S. sanctions targeting Turkey’s defence industry over missiles comes as EU leaders at a summit discussed separate sanctions against Turkish officials over gas exploration in disputed parts of the Mediterranean.

Both developments -- examples of Erdogan’s long-strained relations with Western allies -- have caused anxiety among investors. The U.S. moves, earlier than expected and potentially wider in scope, are likely to have the greater immediate impact.

The lira tumbled nearly 2% after Reuters cited sources saying U.S. sanctions are set to be announced as soon as Friday. The currency later rebounded as investors weighed up the impact.

The U.S. measures under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) would be enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office on Jan. 20.

“For America to get up and confront Turkey with a matter like CAATSA is disrespectful to a very important NATO partner,” state-owned Anadolu agency cited Erdogan as saying.

In a later speech to officials from his AK Party, Erdogan took a more conciliatory tone, calling on both U.S. and EU politicians to “break from the influence of anti-Turkey lobbies”.

“There are no issues that we cannot solve with dialogue and cooperation,” he said.

The lira, which has hit a series of record lows and is among the worst performers in emerging markets this year, weakened past 8 to the dollar for the first time in two weeks. By 1226 GMT it had rebounded to 7.89, flat on the day.

A 25% currency depreciation has worsened economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic this year.

Ankara acquired the S-400 ground-to-air defences in mid-2019 and says they pose no threat to NATO allies. Washington disagrees, and last year removed Turkey from an F-35 jet programme.

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa...nctions-would-disrespect-turkey-idUSKBN28L0ZD
 
Erdogan attacks Europe court's order for Demirtas's release

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has condemned an order by the European Court of Human Rights to free a jailed Kurdish political leader.

Selahattin Demirtas's imprisonment on terror charges violated five articles of the human rights convention, the court said.

Mr Erdogan said the ruling was hypocritical and "entirely political".

The court has revealed its website was hacked and went down after Tuesday's ruling.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55424251
 
Student protests grow as Turkey's young people turn against Erdoğan

President’s appointment of political ally as university rector becomes catalyst for disillusioned youth to vent frustrations
Escalating protests over the appointment of a state-approved rector at a prestigious Istanbul university have become an unexpected catalyst for Turkey’s disillusioned and underemployed youth to vent their frustrations at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.

Demonstrations by both staff and students erupted last month over the installation of Melih Bulu, a business figure who stood as a ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) parliamentary candidate in 2015, as rector of Boğaziçi (University, arguably the most acclaimed higher education institution in the country.

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The decision to appoint Bulu was denounced as undemocratic by university members, and widely interpreted as a government attempt to infiltrate one of the country’s last left-leaning institutions: Bulu is the first rector chosen from outside the university community since Turkey’s 1980 military coup.
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/04/turkey-student-protests-grow-young-people-vent-frustrations-with-erdogan

While these 'protests' look like a few people and billboards... Pasha Erdogan had long held support even among liberal factions for his leadership and economic policies. With the latter on the dwindle, he seems more focused on bolstering the country's media output and a focus on history, which is ironic because it was the Ottoman Empire's complacency which led to its downfall.


You can suppress the population at large but the 'Young Turks' ought to be taken notice of.
 
Domestic violence: Turkey pulls out of Istanbul convention

Turkey has abandoned an international accord designed to protect women, despite objections from campaigners.

It signed the Council of Europe's convention 10 years ago at its launch in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The pact seeks to prevent, prosecute and eliminate domestic violence.

But Turkish conservatives argue its principles of gender equality and non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation undermine family values and promote homosexuality.

Turkey's decision was described as "devastating" for efforts to combat domestic violence by the head of Europe's top human rights body, the Council of Europe.

"This move is a huge setback to these efforts and all the more deplorable because it compromises the protection of women in Turkey, across Europe and beyond," Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric said.

On social media, Turkey's minister for family, labour and social policies, Zehra Zumrut, said women's rights were protected by the country's constitution. She did not give a reason for withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention, which is the world's first binding treaty to prevent domestic violence.

Gokce Gokcen, deputy chairperson of Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party, tweeted that abandoning the convention meant "keeping women [as] second class citizens and letting them be killed".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56467689
 
Firebat said:
Domestic violence: Turkey pulls out of Istanbul convention

Turkey has abandoned an international accord designed to protect women, despite objections from campaigners.

It signed the Council of Europe's convention 10 years ago at its launch in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The pact seeks to prevent, prosecute and eliminate domestic violence.

But Turkish conservatives argue its principles of gender equality and non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation undermine family values and promote homosexuality.

Turkey's decision was described as "devastating" for efforts to combat domestic violence by the head of Europe's top human rights body, the Council of Europe.

"This move is a huge setback to these efforts and all the more deplorable because it compromises the protection of women in Turkey, across Europe and beyond," Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric said.

On social media, Turkey's minister for family, labour and social policies, Zehra Zumrut, said women's rights were protected by the country's constitution. She did not give a reason for withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention, which is the world's first binding treaty to prevent domestic violence.

Gokce Gokcen, deputy chairperson of Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party, tweeted that abandoning the convention meant "keeping women [as] second class citizens and letting them be killed".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56467689
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This is Erdogan's Turkey, the person which so many posters here idolise. Says a lot. He continues to be a reprehensible leader and human being.
 
Turkish lira falls 14% after bank governor sacked

Turkey's currency has tumbled as much as 14% after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sacked the country's central bank governor over the weekend.

Naci Agbal had been credited as a key force in pulling the lira back from historic lows.

Mr Erdogan removed him in a surprise move on Saturday as he again overhauled Turkey's economic leadership.

Mr Agbal, only appointed in November, had raised interest rates to fight inflation running at more than 15%.

The removal has shocked both local and foreign investors who had praised Turkey's central bank's recent monetary policy.

The lira was at one point the best performing emerging-market currency of 2021, having recovered almost a fifth from a low against the US dollar.

Last week, the Turkish currency rose strongly after Mr Agbal increased interest rates by 2 percentage points, double what economists expected.Investors have been calling for tighter monetary policy in Turkey to tame its high inflation rate, as prices rise rapidly in the country.There are now concerns that Mr Erdogan's decision to install Sahap Kavcioglu in the role could erode the gains made during Mr Agbal's short tenure.

Mr Kavcioglu is a little-known professor of banking and a former lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development party.In a statement on Sunday, the central bank said it "will continue to use the monetary policy tools effectively in line with its main objective of achieving a permanent fall in inflation".
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56479702.
 
It's a shame how Turkey going downhill from being a secular developed nation. It is still in very strong financial footing with very decent per capita income but the way things are going it simply not sustainable with Erdogan's short term selfish vision and surrender to the orthodoxy. What is even more frustrating is that fellow Muslim countries are encouraging Turkey to go into this dark path and dragging it down as opposed to themselves following Turkeys development model and replicating at their end. Classic frogs in a well story.
 
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-cenbank-opposition/turkish-opposition-slams-erdogan-after-cenbank-governor-ousted-idUSKBN2BF184

Opposition parties say Turkey is paying a steep price for President Tayyip Erdogan’s wayward economic policies after his shock firing of the central bank governor sent Turkish financial markets reeling. Erdogan dismissed Naci Agbal on Saturday, two days after the governor raised rates to curb inflation. Erdogan then appointed a critic of tight policy who is expected to reverse recent rate hikes, fuelling fears of political meddling in monetary policy.

The lira slumped as much as 15% after the move, stocks dived and government yields jumped, piling pressure on the credit-fuelled emerging economy, which has been prone to booms and busts during Erdogan’s 18 years in power.

Sahap Kavcioglu, a former lawmaker from Erdogan’s ruling AK Party (AKP) who shares the president’s unorthodox view that high interest rates cause inflation, is Turkey’s third central bank chief since mid-2019.

“Turkey is paying the price for Mr Erdogan’s thoughtless and reckless decisions with high interest rates, unemployment and high inflation,” Iyi Party chairwoman Meral Aksener told her party’s lawmakers in a speech in parliament.

Erdogan recently announced an economic reform package but Aksener said it lacked credibility. She said Turkey’s economic woes - with inflation above 15%, high unemployment and a gaping current account deficit - left no alternative to high rates.

“High interest rates have become necessary. High interest rates are a fever medicine, not a permanent cure. As the treatment is delayed, it is inevitable for the patient to die,” said Aksener, head of the fifth largest party in parliament.

Faik Oztrak, deputy head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), slammed what he called the AKP’s “ideological blindness”.

“It is truly unprecedented incompetence to cause the Turkish lira to lose more than 10% in a single day two days after interest rates were raised,” he told a Monday news conference.

Erdogan has not commented on the move but a deputy head of the AKP, Nurettin Canikli, said Agbal had been dismissed because he did not use monetary policy instruments rationally.

Aksener said her party supported Agbal prioritising price stability and faulted Erdogan’s economic management, under a presidential system which came into force after a 2018 election.

“Turkey has no macroeconomic problems. Turkey has macro-Erdoganic problems... What is the solution? To immediately get rid of this failed system and return to a parliamentary democracy,” she said.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-cenbank-deputy/after-firing-turkeys-cenbank-chief-erdogan-also-removes-deputy-idUSKBN2BM0FS?il=0

President Tayyip Erdogan removed a central bank deputy governor, Murat Cetinkaya, from his post on Tuesday, 10 days after he fired the bank’s hawkish governor in a shock move that sent the lira down some 13%.

Banker Mustafa Duman was appointed to the post, according to the Official Gazette. He has held executive positions at Morgan Stanley Securities and also had treasury, risk and auditing jobs in the financial sector, the central bank said.

The decree gave no reason for the change. Cetinkaya, a former CEO of the Istanbul stock exchange, had served since mid-2019 at the central bank, which has seen rapid turnover in its upper ranks including four governors in two years.

The lira weakened in response and touched 8.4510 against the U.S. dollar. It firmed after Governor Sahap Kavcioglu pledged tight policy and stood at 8.3190 at 1440 GMT.

Separately, Omer Duman, a member of the bank’s board, was replaced during the annual general assembly held on Tuesday. He was replaced by Ertan Aydin, who was nominated by the Treasury.

Duman was also a member of the policy-making committee but his replacement was not yet named.

On March 20, Erdogan ousted Naci Agbal, an orthodox governor who hiked the key interest rate to 19% to address double-digit inflation. Sahap Kavcioglu, who has supported the president’s view that high rates cause inflation, was named the new chief.

The move led to market turmoil amid concerns Turkey may return to unorthodox economic policies and rapid rate cuts. Inflation stood at 15.6% in February.

Deutsche Bank estimated foreigners dumped between $750 million and $1 billion of Turkish equities last week, in addition to $500 to $750 million in local bonds.

In an interview with Bloomberg, new Central Bank Governor Sahap Kavcioglu dismissed “prejudiced” expectations of an early rate cut in April or the following months.

Responding to speculation that Turkey could impose capital controls to protect its currency, Erdogan’s chief economic adviser, however, told Reuters it was not considering them.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-cenbank/the-last-straw-why-an-irked-erdogan-fired-turkeys-central-bank-chief-idUSKBN2BN1I1?il=0

Politics drove Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s sacking of central bank chief Naci Agbal after just four months in office, six people with knowledge of the situation told Reuters, with one describing a big interest rate hike two days earlier as simply “the last straw”.

Agbal’s shock dismissal by Erdogan, whose dislike of orthodox monetary policy is well-known, has pushed Turkey to the cusp of another currency crisis.

The decision surprised the governor himself, who according to two of the sources worked late at the bank on Friday March 19, hours before he was fired.

Senior government and central bank officials told Reuters Agbal’s rapid rise and fall reflected both his divergent vision for the economy and the perceived threat he posed to Erdogan’s son-in-law and former finance minister Berat Albayrak.

The Presidential Palace and the central bank declined to comment on the background to Agbal’s departure, as did representatives for Agbal and Albayrak.

Three of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Erdogan was irritated in February by Agbal’s decision to review a costly policy undertaken during Albayrak’s tenure of selling dollars -- roughly $130 billion since 2019 -- to defend the lira.

“Was there discomfort regarding this? Yes, there was. It was one of the influential issues in the presidential palace,” the first source said.

Another person with direct knowledge of the review of FX sales said it could have turned into an outside investigation had Agbal remained at the bank.

Word of the potentially sensitive review reached Erdogan around the time he was rallying public support for Albayrak, fuelling speculation that his son-in-law was seeking a return to government after having quit in November, a day after Agbal’s appointment.

Albayrak and Agbal are seen as representing two key factions of the AK Party (AKP), which has ruled Turkey for two decades under what analysts describe as an increasingly authoritative and impulsive Erdogan.

One of the sources said “the first shadow fell over” Agbal on Feb. 24 when the bank made an apparently routine adjustment to reserve requirements that was interpreted by Erdogan as a veiled interest rate hike.

The same day, the president told AKP members that FX reserves at the central bank had been reduced on Albayrak’s watch to help the economy through the pandemic last year.

The $130 billion in sales by state banks were backed by central bank swaps, and they cut net FX reserves -- a country’s buffer against financial crisis -- by about 75%.

Even as several top government and party officials lined up to publicly defend Albayrak from opposition criticism, Agbal -- himself a former finance minister -- did not comment on his legacy and promised to rebuild the reserves.

“Agbal was not happy that his job was being overshadowed by the previous policy of spending FX reserves,” said a person close to the bank.

During Agbal’s short tenure, the lira first rallied 24% from a record low before beginning to slide when Erdogan began defending Albayrak’s legacy. It jumped nearly 4% after Agbal hiked rates by 2 percentage points on March 18 before plunging 13% when he was fired two days later, returning nearly to where it began.

Cemil Ertem, Erdogan’s chief economy advisor, said Turkey will not adopt capital controls to support the lira, adding “the free market economy will be applied without compromise” despite the leadership overhaul.

Agbal had won praise from foreign investors who found his approach to monetary policy reassuring after years of worry about the central bank’s credibility -- now in tatters again after he became the third governor to be ousted in two years.

Erdogan, who also abruptly fired the last two governors in part over policy differences, had promised when Agbal was appointed to kick-start economic reforms.

As Agbal’s successor, Erdogan named Sahap Kavcioglu, a former banker and AKP lawmaker who pledged to keep policy tight but has previously espoused the unorthodox view shared by the president that high interest rates cause inflation.

Some investors now say they will avoid Turkey as long as Erdogan is leader. Ratings agencies have warned of downgrades while stocks have suffered their worst selloff since the 2008 global financial crisis.

“Erdogan, and the Turkish conservative circle, feel that a tight monetary policy goes counter to their interests,” said Patrick Esteruelas, research head at Emso Asset Management in New York.

In March, with inflation above 15% and the lira sliding amid a global bond market rout, markets were betting on a 1 percentage point rate rise to 18%.

Faced with what analysts called a credibility test, Agbal -- who had already hiked rates from 10.25% -- decided to go further, to 19%, to reinforce his inflation-fighting rhetoric.

Before that, as usual, he informed Erdogan’s office of the policy decision. Two of the sources with knowledge of the bank’s operations said there was no response.

“There was no negative feedback,” said the second source. “The dismissal seriously really surprised everybody.”

The first source said the Palace did not officially inform Agbal he was being dismissed until very late on Friday, March 19. Just after midnight, Erdogan’s order was published.

Minutes after financial markets reopened on March 22, the lira had lost 15% of its value.

Since then, Erdogan has also dismissed a bank deputy governor, and a party leader has said he plans a cabinet shuffle in which analysts say Albayrak could resurface. The government has not commented on a possible return of the minister.

Soner Cagaptay, a director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said “palace politics” and rivalries played a role in Erdogan’s recent decisions, and Agbal’s sacking could pave the way to a comeback by Albayrak.

“Erdogan’s decisions are increasingly undermined by clique politics,” he said.
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He's treading dangerous water with his saving grace, the eckno!y, fluctuating like a dinghy in high seas
 
Turned out to be a regressive conservative quasi-despot. Another populist fraud but he says the right things and gives great sound bytes for the Ummah when ground reality is totally different .
 
A delusional, self-appointed caliph who thinks he is an Ottoman sultan.

Turkey’s identity crisis has always been well-documented. After the fall off the Ottomans, they tried hard to ape the western culture and forget their Ottoman past but Erdogan has decided to glorify the Ottoman heritage whilst continuing to do slavery on the NATO table.

By the way, is the First Lady still carrying “fake” French designer handbags?
 
He's made some mistakes, some serious such as invading Syria.

But overall under Erdogan Turkey is a force like never before in it's short history. Erdogan unlike many spineless leaders will call out terrorism by nations like USA, India and Israel. All nations are struggling at the moment with their economies but under this leader Turkey has boomed compared to before.
 
Turkey a force like never before :)))

Hes flatten turkeys economy, hes the worse leader theyve had, turkey was a force before he came to power, now it pales in comparison to what it once was.
 
KingKhanWC said:
He's made some mistakes, some serious such as invading Syria.

But overall under Erdogan Turkey is a force like never before in it's short history. Erdogan unlike many spineless leaders will call out terrorism by nations like USA, India and Israel. All nations are struggling at the moment with their economies but under this leader Turkey has boomed compared to before.
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:)))

Maybe if you stopped reading Ottoman Times and Ertugrul Express, you would have realized that Erdogan has destroyed Turkey’s economy.

He is the worst leader that they have ever had. A delusional, self-appointed caliph who is also a war criminal. He has plunged Turkey into a deep identity crisis and is the worst thing that has happened to them.

By the way, when will the caliph pull Turkey out of NATO?
 
Mamoon said:
:)))

Maybe if you stopped reading Ottoman Times and Ertugrul Express, you would have realized that Erdogan has destroyed Turkey’s economy.

He is the worst leader that they have ever had. A delusional, self-appointed caliph who is also a war criminal. He has plunged Turkey into a deep identity crisis and is the worst thing that has happened to them.

By the way, when will the caliph pull Turkey out of NATO?
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To say the worst leader they’ve ever had is incorrect to say the least. They were struggling

He’s just overstayed his welcome. Should have left with respect 6-7 years ago and would have been hailed as Turkey’s greatest leader since Ataturk
 
KingKhanWC said:
He's made some mistakes, some serious such as invading Syria.

But overall under Erdogan Turkey is a force like never before in it's short history. Erdogan unlike many spineless leaders will call out terrorism by nations like USA, India and Israel. All nations are struggling at the moment with their economies but under this leader Turkey has boomed compared to before.
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Hahahhahahaha. May I have what you are smoking also please.
The economy in the trash, illegal war. Changed the constitution so he could stay in power, one of the worst countries for freedom of press. Status of women down the drain during his tenure. Corruption, nepotism to the Max. Yeah he has been great.
 
Turkey's economic downturn seems to have coincided with their efforts to assert themselves as a regional power again. At one time Erdogan was credited with the revival of the economy, but seems following the rejection of EU recognition, Erdogan turned his sights east, and this has made him somewhat unpopular among his former allies in NATO.
 
PetroDollars said:
Turkey a force like never before :)))

Hes flatten turkeys economy, hes the worse leader theyve had, turkey was a force before he came to power, now it pales in comparison to what it once was.
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Turkey was never a force before erdogan Now its a regional leader Pre covid they were experiencing immense growth

Theres an agenda out to demonise him and drag turkey back in place by the powers that be that dont want to see a successful secular muslim country doing well on the world stage
 
Zaz said:
Turkey was never a force before erdogan Now its a regional leader Pre covid they were experiencing immense growth

Theres an agenda out to demonise him and drag turkey back in place by the powers that be that dont want to see a successful secular muslim country doing well on the world stage
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Pre covid they were doing poorly too. Currency was in the toilet along with economic woes.

They were doing well till 2014 or so but since then it’s been quite a few setbacks. Erdogan got power hungry and overstayed his welcome. Still he wasn’t always bad and isn’t as poor a leader as some here are making out
 
Slog said:
Pre covid they were doing poorly too. Currency was in the toilet along with economic woes.

They were doing well till 2014 or so but since then it’s been quite a few setbacks. Erdogan got power hungry and overstayed his welcome. Still he wasn’t always bad and isn’t as poor a leader as some here are making out
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You must have very low standards for a leader then
 
Nadeemp said:
You must have very low standards for a leader then
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You don’t seem to know much about what you’re talking about. Just putting throwaway lines without any context or debate is pointless.

Do your own research rather than riding the media wave and accepting opinions blindly.

Erdogan’s legacy has been tarnished a lot in past half decade or so but before that Turkey had many great achievements under his administration.
 
Slog said:
You don’t seem to know much about what you’re talking about. Just putting throwaway lines without any context or debate is pointless.

Do your own research rather than riding the media wave and accepting opinions blindly.

Erdogan’s legacy has been tarnished a lot in past half decade or so but before that Turkey had many great achievements under his administration.
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I have been going to turkey for decades now. Have family members married to turkish citizens and some of my best friends are turkish. So i think i DO know about turkey a bit as i have seen it transform. Some facts for you.
1:Turkey before Erdogan had a decent freedom of press ranking. At the momeent its #154.
https://rsf.org/en/ranking
2: Gender equality index turkey ranks 130 out of 153. Has been slowly going down since erdogans leadership. His remarks ( videos) on women are all over youtube.
https://www.duvarenglish.com/human-rights/2019/12/18/turkey-ranks-130th-in-gender-equality-index
3:He had multiple corruption cases against him. Many journalist are in jail for bringing that up.
4: He has changed the constitution from where PM has the power to where President has the power, so he can stay in power.
5: Has made it illegal for anyone to criticize the presidency but every friday after prayers goes on national TV and criticizes the opposition.
6: Terrible human rights record against the turkish Kurds. Bombed the syrian Kurds. illegal war.
7: Had family members in hi positions who were unqualified. Also corruption charges against them.
8: The economy has tanked under him. Thats a fact. Not my opinion.
9: Has brought religion into public sphere. The consequences of it will be felt long after he is gone. Like what pakistan went through Under Uncle ZIA.
 
Turkey sacks judges who oversaw Erdogan corruption probe

Turkey's top judicial body has dismissed four judges who investigated corruption allegations against the inner circle of President Erdogan. The scandal dragged down four government ministers.

The four prosecutors are accused of abusing their authority by leading the December 2013 corruption investigation that shook the government of then-Prime Minister Erdogan, and touched his inner circle.

They were suspended on Tuesday by the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK). An investigation will determine whether they can continue in the profession.

The corruption probe became public on December 17 last year, with police raids leading to the arrest of dozens of people - including the sons of three government ministers and business allies of Erdogan, whose own son was also implicated.

The probe became one of the most serious challenges to Erdogan's 11-year leadership. In total, four ministers resigned. Erdogan responded by reassigning hundreds of police officers and members of the judiciary.

The four prosecutors sacked on Tuesday - Zekeriya Oz, Celal Kara, Muammer Akkas and Mehmet Yuzgec - were taken off the case weeks after the police raids, and new prosecutors assigned.

All charges against government officials linked to the investigation have been formally dropped.

Erdogan has labeled the crisis a "judicial coup" orchestrated by his former ally, US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, to undermine his rule. Authorites launched raids against pro-Gulen media earlier this month.

jr/sb (Reuters, AFP)
 
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Nadeemp said:
I have been going to turkey for decades now. Have family members married to turkish citizens and some of my best friends are turkish. So i think i DO know about turkey a bit as i have seen it transform. Some facts for you.
1:Turkey before Erdogan had a decent freedom of press ranking. At the momeent its #154.
https://rsf.org/en/ranking
2: Gender equality index turkey ranks 130 out of 153. Has been slowly going down since erdogans leadership. His remarks ( videos) on women are all over youtube.
https://www.duvarenglish.com/human-rights/2019/12/18/turkey-ranks-130th-in-gender-equality-index
3:He had multiple corruption cases against him. Many journalist are in jail for bringing that up.
4: He has changed the constitution from where PM has the power to where President has the power, so he can stay in power.
5: Has made it illegal for anyone to criticize the presidency but every friday after prayers goes on national TV and criticizes the opposition.
6: Terrible human rights record against the turkish Kurds. Bombed the syrian Kurds. illegal war.
7: Had family members in hi positions who were unqualified. Also corruption charges against them.
8: The economy has tanked under him. Thats a fact. Not my opinion.
9: Has brought religion into public sphere. The consequences of it will be felt long after he is gone. Like what pakistan went through Under Uncle ZIA.
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Most of these things you have listed are in the past 5 years as I have been saying.

As for number 8. The economy has tanked but it’s the same economy he built. Before him it wasn’t doing much either.

I’m not even saying he’s a great leader. I’m just saying it’s totally wrong to say that he’s the worst because in first half or so of his reign he had some great achievements under his belt.

FYI - I am also speaking from interaction with Turkish people. And most of them are secular anti erdogan folk.
 
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Slog said:
Most of these things you have listed are in the past 5 years as I have been saying.

As for number 8. The economy has tanked but it’s the same economy he built. Before him it wasn’t doing much either.

I’m not even saying he’s a great leader. I’m just saying it’s totally wrong to say that he’s the worst because in first half or so of his reign he had some great achievements under his belt.

FYI - I am also speaking from interaction with Turkish people. And most of them are secular anti erdogan folk.
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I never said he is the worst leader ever. Might be by end of his era. The things I listed are not just the past 5 years. He has been anti women since the start. Corrupt and nepotism from the start. His record is shady even when he was mayor of Istanbul. He has identified himself as an Islamist from the start.
 
Nadeemp said:
I never said he is the worst leader ever. Might be by end of his era. The things I listed are not just the past 5 years. He has been anti women since the start. Corrupt and nepotism from the start. His record is shady even when he was mayor of Istanbul. He has identified himself as an Islamist from the start.
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How does he identify as an Islamist? I have heard this a lot but Turkey doesn't look like an Islamist country, and he's been in power a long time.
 
He himself has said it. Most people refer to it as an islamist party. Manifesto i have no idea. Their goal is to bring islam in the public sphere and change from the secular state its in. His speeches have hinted at those things multiple times
 
Nadeemp said:
He himself has said it. Most people refer to it as an islamist party. Manifesto i have no idea. Their goal is to bring islam in the public sphere and change from the secular state its in. His speeches have hinted at those things multiple times
Click to expand...

Bringing Islam into the public sphere could just be referring to lifting the ban on hijabs which was imposed by previous regimes. Allowing Muslims a public face in a Muslim country isn't really Islamist by most people's understanding.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Bringing Islam into the public sphere could just be referring to lifting the ban on hijabs which was imposed by previous regimes. Allowing Muslims a public face in a Muslim country isn't really Islamist by most people's understanding.
Click to expand...

Islamist is a term coined by the west, it's supposed to mean political Islam. Islam does include politics, how to live in a society. Its only Islamaphobic nutters who may issue with this, as you've rightly said its normal for Muslim countries.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Bringing Islam into the public sphere could just be referring to lifting the ban on hijabs which was imposed by previous regimes. Allowing Muslims a public face in a Muslim country isn't really Islamist by most people's understanding.
Click to expand...
You know every well that’s not it. It’s much wider an deeper than that. His party and himself saw they are an Islamist party
 
Nadeemp said:
You know every well that’s not it. It’s much wider an deeper than that. His party and himself saw they are an Islamist party
Click to expand...

Why haven't they closed the bars and banned short skirts then? The article you linked shows an objection to promotion of LGBT agenda by a group who hijacked the march. I think that in the east in general that concept hasn't got a hold yet, even in Russia.

I think it would be more accurate to describe Erdogan's govt as conservative rather than Islamist. Liberal Muslim govt would be even more accurate since for a Muslim country it is still far and away the most liberal in the world.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Why haven't they closed the bars and banned short skirts then? The article you linked shows an objection to promotion of LGBT agenda by a group who hijacked the march. I think that in the east in general that concept hasn't got a hold yet, even in Russia.

I think it would be more accurate to describe Erdogan's govt as conservative rather than Islamist. Liberal Muslim govt would be even more accurate since for a Muslim country it is still far and away the most liberal in the world.
Click to expand...

Well they have tried their best. They have tried to limit days and times to purchase alcohol and actually in the end the won and alcohol sale is more restricted. Erdogan himself in his own words has recommended how a women should dress. There are videos of it out there. The. Biggest reason he has not gotten his way is for to strong resistance. The most he has worn is 47 percent of the vote. So there is strong resistance
 
Erdogan has done wonders for Turkey. Infrastructure wise, It really is on a higher level than many EU countries (incl. some western ones like Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal).

History and identity of Turkey is a complex subject and its a relatively new country with an acquired identity. People like Attaturk has tried to throw it in a disarray but its actually good that Erdogan is trying to revive it.
 
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-montreux/turkey-detains-10-retired-admirals-who-defended-maritime-accord-idUSKBN2BS0ED?il=0

Turkey detained 10 retired admirals who signed a statement asserting the importance to Turkish security of the Montreux Convention designed to prevent the militarisation of the Black Sea, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Monday.

The statement, signed by 104 former high-ranking navy personnel, drew a backlash from officials who saw it as a direct challenge from the military to the civilian government.

Four other suspects were called to report to police within three days as part of the investigation into the statement, Anadolu added.

Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the statement had the hallmarks of a military plot to overthrow the government.

“A group of retired soldiers are putting themselves into a laughable and miserable position with their statement that echoes military coup times,” he said.

The Montreux Convention, signed in 1936, governs the use of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits by cargo ships from other countries.

It gives Turkey control over the straits within its borders, and during peacetime guarantees access for civilian vessels. It also limits access of naval warships.

Turkey is planning to build a huge canal connecting the Black Sea north of Istanbul to the Marmara Sea to the south, which a Turkish official has said will not be covered by the convention.

“Montreux provided Turkey the possibility to maintain its neutrality during World War II. We are of the opinion that there is a need to avoid any statements and actions that could cause the Montreux convention, an important treaty in terms of Turkey’s survival, to be brought up for discussion,” the statement by retired military officials said.

The admirals are suspected of conspiring against state security and constitutional order, news website Haberturk said.
Click to expand...
 
Last Monetarist said:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-montreux/turkey-detains-10-retired-admirals-who-defended-maritime-accord-idUSKBN2BS0ED?il=0
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Something like this is unthinkable in Pakistan. Turkey after the worldwar was strong under secular army control until fairly recruiting. Hats off to Erdogan for taming them by having the ordinary population behind him.

During the army mutiny a few years ago, Turkish public was on the street fighting with army rebels to show their support for Erdogan. I wish this will also happen in Pakistan some day.
 
Bi_Jamalo said:
Something like this is unthinkable in Pakistan. Turkey after the worldwar was strong under secular army control until fairly recruiting. Hats off to Erdogan for taming them by having the ordinary population behind him.

During the army mutiny a few years ago, Turkish public was on the street fighting with army rebels to show their support for Erdogan. I wish this will also happen in Pakistan some day.
Click to expand...

No joke in coups Pak army actually shows up in the PM house, eat biscuits and drink chai made by the PM house staff
 
Nadeemp said:
Well they have tried their best. They have tried to limit days and times to purchase alcohol and actually in the end the won and alcohol sale is more restricted. Erdogan himself in his own words has recommended how a women should dress. There are videos of it out there. The. Biggest reason he has not gotten his way is for to strong resistance. The most he has worn is 47 percent of the vote. So there is strong resistance
Click to expand...

There should be resistance in a democracy, just as there was resistance when the army were forcing their rules on the population. The people of Turkey voted for Erdogan because they didn't want forced foreign culture any more than they wanted forced religion. This is what has kept Turkey true to it's balance and harmony. Alcohol sale times are increasingly restricted even in the heavy drinking capitals of the world by the way, that isn't really a black mark.
 
Why some people want Turkey to be secular? it is 99% muslim (if not more). it should be an Islamic country. Secular makes sense for countries like malaysia which has 60% muslim, and should not be an islamic country, as 4 out of 10 are non muslims.
 
Turkey’s leader met two E.U. presidents. The woman among them didn’t get a chair.

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Turkey's president left a top E.U. leader speechless on April 6 when he relegated her to a sofa instead of offering an equivalent seat to her male counterpart. (European Commission)
By
Michael Birnbaum
April 8, 2021 at 11:14 a.m. EDT
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Tuesday with the European Union’s two presidents, but an awkward moment when the woman among them was left standing caused a bit of a diplomatic stir.

A video of the leaders assembled in an ornate meeting room in Ankara showed Erdogan and European Council President Charles Michel settling themselves into gilded chairs, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared unsure of where she was expected to sit.

Von der Leyen stood staring at them, gestured with her right hand and appeared to say “um” or “ehm.”

She was ultimately offered a beige couch about 12 feet away, opposite Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who occupies a lower-status rank in typical diplomatic protocol.

Von der Leyen “was clearly surprised, and that is something which you can see from the video,” her spokesman Eric Mamer said Wednesday, confirming the displeasure of the leader who is the first woman to hold her position. She “should have been seated in exactly the same manner as the president of the European Council and the Turkish president.”


Mamer said the fault lay with the Turkish officials who prepared the room.

Von der Leyen, surprised by her sofa seat, chose to proceed with the substance of the meeting rather than demanding an immediate fix, Mamer said.

But “not making an issue out of something in public is not the same thing as saying that it has no importance,” he said.

After two days of silence from the Turkish side, a senior Turkish official said Thursday that the European side simply failed to request equal treatment for von der Leyen.

“Standard protocol was followed during the visit,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the protocol arrangements. “The president of the European Commission was not treated differently. The E.U. delegation did not request a different arrangement, either. In this type of situation, we’d expect the two guests to make an arrangement among themselves.”


In the complicated world of diplomatic protocol, Michel’s position outranks von der Leyen’s. When the two leaders jointly meet others, Michel is greeted first and leads the discussions on behalf of the European Union, a situation that results in the male president getting the first handshake and the female president trailing behind. Apart from that distinction, the leaders are typically — but not always — shown the same respect, according to von der Leyen’s predecessor, Jean-Claude Juncker, who told Politico Europe on Wednesday that he also had sometimes been relegated to the sofa seat.

Michel said he and von der Leyen had chosen to press forward with the meeting’s agenda, which included women’s rights.

“The strict interpretation by the Turkish services of the rules of protocol produced a distressing situation,” he wrote on Facebook late Wednesday. “The few images that were shown gave the impression that I was insensitive to this situation. Nothing is further from reality.”


Public outrage was quick and sharp.

“ ‘Ehm’ is the new term for ‘that’s not how EU-Turkey relationship should be’. #GiveHerASeat #EU #Turkey #womensrights,” tweeted Sergey Lagodinsky, a German member of the European Parliament who chairs the legislature’s delegation to a joint E.U.-Turkish parliamentary committee.

Another member of the European Parliament, Dutch lawmaker Sophie in ‘t Veld, noted that at meetings between Erdogan and the prior pair of E.U. presidents, who were both men, the three leaders were seated next to one another, in equivalent chairs.

“It wasn’t a coincidence it was deliberate,” she wrote on Twitter, where some people explained away the incident as more about social distancing than protocol.

Critics had already been taking aim at the visit, which came two weeks after Erdogan pulled Turkey out of an international treaty aimed at preventing violence against women known as the Istanbul Convention. Erdogan allies said the move did not mean that women’s rights were being downgraded.


As head of the European Commission, von der Leyen leads the E.U.’s executive wing and oversees the bloc’s membership negotiations with Turkey, which are on life support. Michel represents the leaders of the 27 individual member nations of the E.U.

Before the episode of chair-and-sofa diplomacy, the three leaders posed for pictures standing together, von der Leyen to Erdogan’s left and Michel to his right in a more standard representation of their status. Only afterward did von der Leyen seem to get ushered to the side.

The official E.U. video was shot from behind von der Leyen, showing the scene playing out from her perspective.

After the meeting, von der Leyen made no direct mention of the incident. But she did express concern about Turkey’s record on women’s rights.

“I am deeply worried about the fact that Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention,” she told reporters. “This is about protecting women and protecting children against violence. And this is clearly the wrong signal right now.”
 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/27/turkey-seeks-arrest-of-mafia-boss-alleging-high-crimes-by-erdogan-allies

Turkey has issued a new arrest warrant for a convicted crime boss who fled prosecution abroad and then began publishing videos that allege grave crimes committed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s allies. The chief public prosecutor’s office in Ankara issued the arrest warrant for Sedat Peker on Wednesday as he prepared to release the eighth in a series of YouTube videos that have each received millions of views.

Anadolu, the state news agency, said Peker was now also suspected of involvement in a terror group led by a US-based Muslim preacher whom Turkey blames for a failed coup against Erdoğan in 2016.

The accusations Peker has levelled at Erdoğan’s allies, including a former prime minister, top officials and their relatives, range from corruption and drug trafficking to rape and assassinations.

The videos have focused heavily on the interior minister, Süleyman Soylu, whom Peker alleges had offered him protection and then tipped him off about impending charges, allowing him to flee abroad.

Peker, 49, began recording his videos after police raided his home in Turkey in April and allegedly mistreated his family.

He says he now lives in the United Arab Emirates.

None of the allegations have been proven and those involved have said they are innocent.

But the political scandal sparked by the videos comes at an inopportune time for Erdoğan, who is losing ground in opinion polls because of a depreciating currency and runaway inflation. Addressing the allegations directly for the first time on Wednesday, Erdoğan vowed to stand “side by side” with Soylu, a nationalist who is seen as one of Turkey’s most popular and powerful officials.

“We have crushed criminal organisations one by one for 19 years,” said Erdoğan.

“We follow criminal gang members wherever they may flee to in the world.”
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We stand with the govt & people of Turkey & share in their sorrow at the tragic loss of life in the wildfires tragedy. Pakistan stands ready to offer any help that the Turkish govt & people may need at this difficult time. <a href="https://t.co/cb30nZiZjo">https://t.co/cb30nZiZjo</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1421169157199048711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-orders-arrest-158-military-probe-over-gulen-links-2021-10-19/

Turkish prosecutors ordered the arrest of 158 suspects including 33 serving soldiers in an operation targeting people allegedly linked to a Muslim preacher who Turkey says was behind a 2016 failed coup, state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Tuesday.

The investigation, stretching across 41 provinces, was part of a five-year-old crackdown against the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. He denies any involvement in the putsch of July 2016, in which more than 250 people were killed.

So far 97 people have been detained in the latest operation, Anadolu said. The suspects included 110 military students who were expelled in the wake of the coup attempt, as well as 48 serving and former military personnel.

Following the failed military takeover, about 80,000 people were held pending trial and some 150,000 civil servants, military personnel and others were sacked or suspended. More than 20,000 people have been expelled from the Turkish military.
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Turkey faces threat of ‘grey-listing’ by global finance watchdog

FATF move would further dent country’s ability to attract crucial foreign capital


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https://www.ft.com/content/74ff270e-6f1d-489f-802b-cd9b36c86fa3

Turkey is set to be “grey listed” by a global finance watchdog this week for failings in its approach to combating money laundering and terrorist financing, according to two western officials.

In a move that risks further denting Turkey’s already limited ability to attract crucial foreign capital, members of the Financial Action Task Force were likely to approve the decision during discussions in Paris on Thursday, the officials said.

They said an FATF review had recommended that Turkey should be subject to special monitoring by the taskforce’s International Co-operation Review Group — a process known as “grey listing” — joining 22 other states including Albania, Morocco, Syria, South Sudan and Yemen.

The 39-member plenary was “very likely” to endorse the recommendation, according to one of the officials. The other said that approval was expected to be a mere formality. The decision is due to be formally announced on Thursday.

The move comes as foreign investment in Turkey is already close to the lowest level reached during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s almost 20 years at the helm.

Political instability and concerns over political interference in monetary policy and rule of law have served to scare away foreign money vital for financing the country’s chronic trade deficit and fuelling economic growth.

A grey listing could strike a further blow at a time when the Turkish lira, which has lost about 20 per cent of its value against the dollar this year, has hit a succession of record lows and could fall further on Thursday if, as markets expect, the country’s central bank cuts its benchmark interest rate again.

Turkey’s grey-listing will heap pressure on the EU to add the country to its own money-laundering list, which identifies high-risk non-EU jurisdictions that threaten the bloc’s financial system.

An IMF study published in May this year found that FATF grey listing had “a large, significant negative effect” on a country’s capital inflows.

Its authors estimated that it caused a reduction in portfolio flows — a form of short-term investment sometimes referred to as “hot money” — equivalent to 3 per cent of gross domestic product, plus a similar reduction in foreign direct investment. A 3 per cent decline would be equivalent to about $23bn in Turkey’s case.

The impact is likely to be limited, however, by the exodus of foreign capital that the country has already suffered in recent years. Total foreign investment in stocks and bonds stood at just $30.6bn at the start of August, according to central bank data. Foreign direct investment totalled $5.7bn last year, compared with more than $19bn at its peak in 2007.

But even small outflows could strike a blow to a country whose currency is under heavy pressure and whose foreign exchange reserves are already widely considered by analysts and investors to be too low. The sliding lira has led to spiralling inflation and an erosion of living standards that has sent public support for Erdogan’s ruling party to historic lows.

The FATF was founded in 1989 to combat money laundering, terror financing and other similar threats to the integrity of the international financial system.


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https://www.ft.com/content/74ff270e-6f1d-489f-802b-cd9b36c86fa3

Turkey was put on notice by the body in a report published in December 2019. While it said that Ankara understood “the risks it faces from money laundering and terrorist financing”, it found “serious shortcomings in the country’s framework to combat these crimes”.

The Turkish government introduced controversial new legislation, passed by parliament in December last year, that it said was a response to the FATF recommendations.

The move was criticised by opposition parties and civil society activists who said the FATF recommendations were being used by the Turkish authorities as an excuse to target the non-profit sector and further hamper freedom of expression and association.

A Turkish official said it was inappropriate to comment before Thursday’s vote, but added: “Despite full lockdown measures taken due to the [Covid-19] pandemic, Turkey has achieved significant progress in terms of compliance with FATF standards, and fulfilled its responsibilities regarding legislation.”

The FATF said that its plenary discussions, which began on Tuesday, were under way but that the talks were confidential.


https://www.ft.com/content/74ff270e-6f1d-489f-802b-cd9b36c86fa3
 
I just learned that today, the currency exchange rate is 11.02 Turkish Liras to a Euro. The last time I was in Turkey in 2019, I remember that it was something like 5.00 Liras to a Euro.

That is a massive fall in less than two years. What has Erdogan been doing?
 
gani999 said:
I just learned that today, the currency exchange rate is 11.02 Turkish Liras to a Euro. The last time I was in Turkey in 2019, I remember that it was something like 5.00 Liras to a Euro.

That is a massive fall in less than two years. What has Erdogan been doing?
Click to expand...

It was 12 INR to Lira in 2019 when my family visited Turkey. Its 7.9 now.
 
JaDed said:
I can say stuff like that about $ to Rupee too, what has BJP been doing?
Click to expand...

I'll compare it in Euros.

In 2016 the INR - Euro exchange rate was 71.9 INR to 1 Euro. Today it is 87.0 INR to a Euro. That's approximately a fall of 21% in 5 years.

In 2016 the Lira - Euro exchange rate was 3.41 Lira to 1 Euro. Today it is 11.0 Lira to a Euro. That's approximately a fall of 230% in 5 years.

Even if we were to assume that India fared worse off last year due to COVID etc, and even if we were to believe that Narendra Modi has been the worst thing to have happened to the Indian economy, Turkey has fared far worse off under Erdogan.
 
KingKhanWC said:
He's made some mistakes, some serious such as invading Syria.

But overall under Erdogan Turkey is a force like never before in it's short history. Erdogan unlike many spineless leaders will call out terrorism by nations like USA, India and Israel.
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I agree. This is what I like about Erdogan. He has a spine. He is a strong leader.

He is not perfect but he has many obstacles/enemies. He is trying.

May God preserve and bless Erdogan.
 
sweep_shot said:
I agree. This is what I like about Erdogan. He has a spine. He is a strong leader.

He is not perfect but he has many obstacles/enemies. He is trying.

May God preserve and bless Erdogan.
Click to expand...

As an Indian I want Erodgan to rule for another 15 years minimum.
 
cricketjoshila said:
It was 12 INR to Lira in 2019 when my family visited Turkey. Its 7.9 now.
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Lots of gulf desis who cant get citizenship in Middle east are investing in Turkey. If you buy a property for 250k usd you can get fast track citizenship.

I was there recently and the place was awash with Pakistanis and Indians who are seeking citizenship so they can run businesses without an arab overlord.
 
Apple Temporarily Halts Sales in Turkey After Currency Crash

Apple has temporarily halted sales of devices in Turkey as the country's economic crisis deepened on Tuesday morning. The lira dropped 15 percent after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan staunchly defended recent rate cuts, reports Reuters.

  • Lira has shed 42% vs dollar this year, weakest global currency
  • Central bank has slashed policy rate 400 points since Sept
  • Turks say household budgets, future plans in turmoil
  • Ex-central banker calls for end to 'irrational experiment'
  • Erdogan insists tighter policy will not lower inflation

Right now, Apple's Turkey storefront is up and operational, but no devices are able to be added to a virtual cart or purchased at this time because of the volatility.

A Turkish lira is equivalent to approximately 0.078 U.S. dollars at the current time, and its value has been steadily falling since last week. Over the course of the last year, the Lira has dropped 45 percent vs. the dollar.

There is no word on when Apple might resume sales in Turkey, but inflation is close to 20 percent and with Erdogan continuing to refuse to raise interest rates, the downward slide may continue.

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/11/23/apple-store-turkey-sales-halted/

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkish-lira-drifts-off-record-low-erdogan-defends-policy-rate-2021-11-23/
 
JaDed said:
I can say stuff like that about $ to Rupee too, what has BJP been doing?
Click to expand...

gani999 said:
I'll compare it in Euros.

In 2016 the INR - Euro exchange rate was 71.9 INR to 1 Euro. Today it is 87.0 INR to a Euro. That's approximately a fall of 21% in 5 years.

In 2016 the Lira - Euro exchange rate was 3.41 Lira to 1 Euro. Today it is 11.0 Lira to a Euro. That's approximately a fall of 230% in 5 years.

Even if we were to assume that India fared worse off last year due to COVID etc, and even if we were to believe that Narendra Modi has been the worst thing to have happened to the Indian economy, Turkey has fared far worse off under Erdogan.
Click to expand...

cricketjoshila said:
In 2019 usd was 70 inr. Its around 75 now.
Click to expand...

Let's simply cut to the chase and compare Indian Rupees to Turkish Liras.

5 years ago a Rupee would buy 0.052 Liras, today it buys 0.18. The Rupee has grown more than 3 times stronger against the Lira is 5 years. Enough said!

Screen Shot 2021-11-23 at 9.58.49 PM.jpg
 
ANKARA: Anxious Turks struggled to keep up with a bewildering collapse in their currency and the main opposition party leader said the country was experiencing its darkest “catastrophe” as the lira slumped 15 per cent on Tuesday against the dollar.

Tuesday’s meltdown follows weeks of steep falls in the lira which have already driven up prices, leaving ordinary Turks reconsidering everything from their holiday plans to weekly grocery shopping.

“There has not been such a catastrophe in the history of the Republic,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party, blaming the currency freefall on President Tayyip Erdogan who has led the country since 2003. “At this point, you are a fundamental national security problem for the Republic of Turkey,” Kilicdaroglu said. Erdogan has pressured the central bank to slash interest rates in a move he says will boost exports, investment and jobs, but which critics say will further fuel double-digit inflation and erode the lira, cutting deeply into Turks’ earnings.

Shoppers at a central Ankara mall said they could not take their eyes off the lira rate, which plunged as far as 13.45 to the dollar on Tuesday. A year ago it was 8 to the dollar, last month it reached 9 and last week it hit 10.

“I’ve become unable to work without following the dollar,” said 28-year-old advertising agency worker Selin. “I don’t think there is a single day where I don’t have to watch my budget, and the calculation changes 100 times by the time I get next month’s salary. There is nothing left, including toilet paper, that I buy without thinking carefully.”

Former prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a founding member of Erdogan’s ruling AK Party before breaking away to form his own party, described the president’s economic measures as “treason and not ignorance”.

Kilicdaroglu, Davutoglu and some other opposition leaders have announced emergency meetings to discuss the currency after Tuesday’s crash — the lira’s second biggest fall ever.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2021
 
Turkey’s Erdogan says Cyprus mosque attacks won’t go ‘unanswered’

Attacks on Muslim houses of worship on Cyprus will “not go unanswered”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said following an arson incident at a mosque.

“Unfortunately there was an [attempt] against our mosques in southern Cyprus. Of course, this operation in southern Cyprus will not go unanswered,” Erdogan told reporters on Monday before departing for Qatar on a two-day visit.

Turkey’s Daily Sabah newspaper reported at least one suspect was detained following a December 2 attempt to burn the Grand Mosque in the city of Larnaca. No one was hurt in the incident.

“This is what we are telling southern Cyprus: do not carry out such acts of sabotage against our houses of worship. The price you will have to pay for such acts of sabotage will be heavy,” Erdogan said.

Cyprus split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of a union with Greece. Turkey is the only nation to recognise a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north of the island and does not recognise Cyprus as a state.

Turkey’s foreign ministry on Sunday said the incident “does not only target Muslims, but also threatens the common values of humanity, and reveals how certain circles are far from the understanding of peaceful coexistence”.

Ersin Tatar, leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot republic also denounced the attack and called on the Greek Cypriot administration to prevent any future attempts.

A Cypriot law enforcement official said authorities arrested a 27-year-old Syrian man in connection with the attack, which caused some damage to the mosque’s wooden door before fire crews put it out. He faces a charge of attempted arson.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the case publicly, said the suspect’s motives are believed to stem from having his request to stay overnight at the mosque rejected by the imam.

A witness told police the suspect used Greek-language newspapers as kindling to light the fire.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021...says-cyprus-mosque-attacks-wont-go-unanswered
 
<b>Erdogan will tell Putin to stop Ukraine war in call on Sunday - spokesman</b>

ANKARA, March 5 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will tell his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday to stop the invasion of Ukraine, an Erdogan spokesman said, while adding that it was naive to expect talks between Moscow and Kyiv to yield results while fighting rages.

NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both countries. Ankara has opposed sanctions on Moscow, but also described its invasion of Ukraine as unacceptable, called for a ceasefire and offered to host peace talks.

Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Erdogan would reiterate that offer to Putin in a phone call on Sunday. He would ask Putin to "give a chance" to a ceasefire, stop his attacks, and help set up corridors needed for evacuations of civilians and shipments of aid.

"We are focusing on what steps we can take here to bring the sides to the negotiating table and to convince the Russian side (to stop)," Kalin said, adding it was important that Moscow had a reliable counterpart to talk to as the West had "burned bridges" with it.

"This network of trust (with Russia) must absolutely be kept open for these talks, diplomacy to succeed," he said. "Otherwise it will be impossible for the whole region, including Russia and Ukraine, to escape from this destruction."

Kalin also reiterated Ankara's criticism of the sanctions that many countries have imposed on Russia since the invasion, saying the measures should be aimed at stopping the war.

"We have no plans for sanctions right now... We do not want to be pushed into a position where we become a party in the war. We need to be able to speak with both sides."

Later on Saturday, Turkey's foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had discussed developments on Ukraine with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts in separate calls.

Turkey has forged close cooperation with Russia in defence, energy and trade, and relies on Russian tourists. But it has also sold drones to Kyiv, angering Moscow, and opposes Russian policies in Syria, Libya, and its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Ankara has said it wants to bring together foreign ministers from Ukraine and Russia for talks at a diplomacy forum next week in southern Turkey. Both Ukraine and Russia have voiced openness to such talks.

Erdogan, who has often called Putin a friend, last spoke to him on Feb. 23, a day before Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. On Saturday, he discussed the war with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Council President Charles Michel.

Kalin repeated that Turkey could not abandon ties with Kyiv or Moscow. He said Ankara was in contact with both the Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams.

"While these intense attacks continue on Ukrainian cities, it would be naive to expect a concrete, binding result that will positively impact the situation on the ground," Kalin said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/turkeys-erdogan-speak-russias-putin-sunday-spokesman-2022-03-05/
 
<b>Ukraine conflict: Putin lays out his demands in Turkish phone call with Erdogan</b>

Turkey has positioned itself with great care to be the go-between with Russia and Ukraine - and this seems to be paying off.

On Thursday afternoon, President Vladimir Putin rang the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and told him what Russia's precise demands were for a peace deal with Ukraine.

Within half an hour of the ending of the phone call, I interviewed Mr Erdogan's leading adviser and spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin.

Mr Kalin was part of the small group of officials who had listened in on the call.

The Russian demands fall into two categories.

The first four demands are, according to Mr Kalin, not too difficult for Ukraine to meet.

Chief among them is an acceptance by Ukraine that it should be neutral and should not apply to join Nato.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has already conceded this.

There are other demands in this category which mostly seem to be face-saving elements for the Russian side.

Ukraine would have to undergo a disarmament process to ensure it wasn't a threat to Russia.

There would have to be protection for the Russian language in Ukraine.

And there is something called de-Nazification.

This is deeply offensive to Mr Zelensky, who is himself Jewish and some of whose relatives died in the Holocaust, but the Turkish side believes it will be easy enough for Mr Zelensky to accept.

Perhaps it will be enough for Ukraine to condemn all forms of neo-Nazism and promise to clamp down on them.

The second category is where the difficulty will lie, and in his phone call, Mr Putin said that it would need face-to-face negotiations between him and President Zelensky before agreement could be reached on these points.

Mr Zelensky has already said that he is prepared to meet the Russian president and negotiate with him one-to-one.

Mr Kalin was much less specific about these issues, saying simply that they involved the status of Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, parts of which have already broken away from Ukraine and stressed their Russianness, and the status of Crimea.

Although Mr Kalin didn't go into detail, the assumption is that Russia will demand that the Ukrainian government should give up territory in eastern Ukraine.

That part will be deeply contentious.

The other assumption is that Russia will demand that Ukraine should formally accept that Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, does indeed now belong to Russia.

If this is the case, it will be a bitter pill for Ukraine to swallow.

Nevertheless, it is essentially a fait accompli.

Still, President Putin's demands are not as harsh as some people feared and they scarcely seem to be worth the violence, bloodshed and destruction which Russia has visited on Ukraine.

Given his heavy-handed control over the Russian media, it shouldn't be too hard for him and his acolytes to present all this as a major victory.

For Ukraine, though, there are going to be serious anxieties.

If the fine details of any agreement aren't sorted out with immense care, President Putin or his successors could always use them as an excuse to invade Ukraine again.

A peace deal could take a long time to sort out, even if a ceasefire stops the bloodshed in the meantime.

Ukraine has suffered appallingly over the past few weeks, and rebuilding the towns and cities which Russia has damaged and destroyed will take a long time. So will rehousing the millions of refugees who have fled their homes.

What about Vladimir Putin himself?

There have been suggestions that he is ill, or possibly even mentally unbalanced.

Did Mr Kalin detect anything strange about him in the phone call?

Not at all, he said. Mr Putin had apparently been clear and concise in everything that he said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60785754
 
James said:
<b>Ukraine conflict: Putin lays out his demands in Turkish phone call with Erdogan</b>

Turkey has positioned itself with great care to be the go-between with Russia and Ukraine - and this seems to be paying off.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60785754
Click to expand...

If Erdogan can bring about peace between Russia and Ukraine with this intervention, his stock among world leaders will skyrocket. All his economic mismanagement and the Ottoman empire hangover driven interference in the neighbourhood will be pushed under the carpet. Turkey will be toasted as the new World Hero.

It all depends on Putin though. He hasn't shown any inclination to listen to anyone despite crippling sanctions and universal condemnation. Why would he listen to Erdogan?
 
Turkish president says country will not approve Finland and Sweden's NATO bid
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will not approve Finland and Sweden's bid for NATO membership.

In a news conference today, Mr Erdogan said Swedish and Finish delegations "should not tire themselves" by coming to Ankara to convince the country to approve their NATO application.

He went on to call Sweden a "hatchery" for terrorist organisations, adding it had terrorists in its parliament.

"Neither of these countries have a clear, open attitude towards terrorist organisation," Mr Erdogan said.

"How can we trust them?"

The Swedish foreign office said earlier that senior representatives of Sweden and Finland plan to travel to Turkey for talks to address Ankara's objections.

Speaking about the planned visit, Mr Erdogan said: "They are coming to Turkey on Monday. Are they coming to convince us? Excuse me but they should not tire themselves."

Turkish authorities say Sweden and Finland harbour people it says are linked to groups it deems terrorists, namely the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and followers of Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.

SKY NEWS
 
Mamoon said:
The worst Muslim leader after Imran Khan.
Click to expand...

This is what most Turks think about him. Let’s see next elections. At 50% inflation, his only chance is to up the rhetoric on religion and anti immigration.

Having said that, he has balanced nicely with NATO and Russia.
 
Turkey and Israel restore full diplomatic relations. I guess that just leaves out Pakistan
 
Syrian civil war damaged Turkey. It made things tricky for Erdogan.

Surprised to see Israel and Turkey resuming relationship.
 
sweep_shot said:
Syrian civil war damaged Turkey. It made things tricky for Erdogan.

Surprised to see Israel and Turkey resuming relationship.
Click to expand...
Putting his son in law has finance minister who was not qualified to be one might have helped. Also looting the country He has his fingers in every big project happening in the country.
 
Turkey Sentences President Erdogan's Rival To Jail With Political Ban

A Turkish court sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu to jail on Wednesday and imposed a political ban on the opposition politician who is seen as a strong potential challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan in elections next year.

Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison along with the ban, both of which must be confirmed by an appeals court, for insulting public officials in a speech he made after he won Istanbul's municipal election in 2019.

Riot police were stationed outside the courthouse on the Asian side of the city of 17 million people, although Imamoglu continued to work as usual and dismissed the court proceedings.

At his municipal headquarters across the Bosphorus on the European side of Istanbul, he told thousands of supporters that the verdict marked a "profound unlawfulness" that "proved that there is no justice in today's Turkey".

Voters would respond in presidential and parliamentary elections which are due by next June, he said.

The vote could mark the biggest political challenge yet for Erdogan, who is seeking to extend his rule into a third decade in the face of a collapsing currency and rampant inflation which have driven the cost of living for Turks ever higher.

A six-party opposition alliance has yet to agree their presidential candidate, and Imamoglu has been mooted as a possible leading challenger to run against Erdogan.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of Imamoglu's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said he was cutting short a visit to Germany and returning to Turkey in response to what he called a "grave violation of the law and justice".

The U.S. State Department is "deeply troubled and disappointed" by the sentence, Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said. "This unjust sentence is inconsistent with respect for human rights, with respect to fundamental freedoms and rule of law," he added.

'VERY SAD DAY'

The European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, expressed disbelief at the "inconceivable" verdict.

"Justice in #Turkey is in a calamitous state, grossly used for political purposes. Very sad day," he tweeted.

Imamoglu was tried over a speech after Istanbul elections when he said those who annulled the initial vote - in which he narrowly defeated a candidate from Erdogan's AK Party - were "fools". Imamoglu says that remark was a response to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu for using the same language against him.

After the initial results were annulled, he won the re-run vote comfortably, ending the 25-year rule in Turkey's largest city by the AKP and its Islamist predecessors.

The outcome of next year's elections is seen hinging on the ability of the CHP and others in opposition to join forces around a single candidate to challenge Erdogan and the AKP, which has governed Turkey since 2002.

Erdogan, who also served as Istanbul mayor before rising to dominate Turkish national politics, was briefly jailed in 1999 for reciting a poem that a court ruled was an incitement to religious hatred.

Selahattin Demirtas, the jailed former leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), tweeted that Imamoglu should be incarcerated in the same prison where Erdogan was held so that he could ultimately follow his path to the presidency.

A jail sentence or political ban on Imamoglu would need to be upheld in appeals courts, potentially extending an outcome to the case beyond the elections date.

Critics say Turkish courts bend to Erdogan's will. The government says the judiciary is independent.

"The ruling will be final only after the higher court decides whether to uphold the ruling or not. Under these circumstances, it would be wrong to say that the political ban is in place," Timucin Koprulu, professor of criminal law at Atilim University in Ankara, told Reuters after the ruling.

NDTV
 
ex-q-zit said:
Turkey Sentences President Erdogan's Rival To Jail With Political Ban

A Turkish court sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu to jail on Wednesday and imposed a political ban on the opposition politician who is seen as a strong potential challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan in elections next year.

Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison along with the ban, both of which must be confirmed by an appeals court, for insulting public officials in a speech he made after he won Istanbul's municipal election in 2019.

Riot police were stationed outside the courthouse on the Asian side of the city of 17 million people, although Imamoglu continued to work as usual and dismissed the court proceedings.

At his municipal headquarters across the Bosphorus on the European side of Istanbul, he told thousands of supporters that the verdict marked a "profound unlawfulness" that "proved that there is no justice in today's Turkey".

Voters would respond in presidential and parliamentary elections which are due by next June, he said.

The vote could mark the biggest political challenge yet for Erdogan, who is seeking to extend his rule into a third decade in the face of a collapsing currency and rampant inflation which have driven the cost of living for Turks ever higher.

A six-party opposition alliance has yet to agree their presidential candidate, and Imamoglu has been mooted as a possible leading challenger to run against Erdogan.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of Imamoglu's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said he was cutting short a visit to Germany and returning to Turkey in response to what he called a "grave violation of the law and justice".

The U.S. State Department is "deeply troubled and disappointed" by the sentence, Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said. "This unjust sentence is inconsistent with respect for human rights, with respect to fundamental freedoms and rule of law," he added.

'VERY SAD DAY'

The European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, expressed disbelief at the "inconceivable" verdict.

"Justice in #Turkey is in a calamitous state, grossly used for political purposes. Very sad day," he tweeted.

Imamoglu was tried over a speech after Istanbul elections when he said those who annulled the initial vote - in which he narrowly defeated a candidate from Erdogan's AK Party - were "fools". Imamoglu says that remark was a response to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu for using the same language against him.

After the initial results were annulled, he won the re-run vote comfortably, ending the 25-year rule in Turkey's largest city by the AKP and its Islamist predecessors.

The outcome of next year's elections is seen hinging on the ability of the CHP and others in opposition to join forces around a single candidate to challenge Erdogan and the AKP, which has governed Turkey since 2002.

Erdogan, who also served as Istanbul mayor before rising to dominate Turkish national politics, was briefly jailed in 1999 for reciting a poem that a court ruled was an incitement to religious hatred.

Selahattin Demirtas, the jailed former leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), tweeted that Imamoglu should be incarcerated in the same prison where Erdogan was held so that he could ultimately follow his path to the presidency.

A jail sentence or political ban on Imamoglu would need to be upheld in appeals courts, potentially extending an outcome to the case beyond the elections date.

Critics say Turkish courts bend to Erdogan's will. The government says the judiciary is independent.

"The ruling will be final only after the higher court decides whether to uphold the ruling or not. Under these circumstances, it would be wrong to say that the political ban is in place," Timucin Koprulu, professor of criminal law at Atilim University in Ankara, told Reuters after the ruling.

NDTV
Click to expand...

Erdogan is a thug and is trying to hold on to power in anyway possible. He has been a disaster for turkey. The economy in shambles
 
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