Turkey Archives

PKK intensify attack: Three Turkish soldiers killed more injured in clashes

August 18, 2015 By administrator

(Photo: DHA)

At least three Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in southeastern district of Lice, adding to an already tense situation in the area.
Four Turkish soldiers suffered injuries when a clash broke out between security forces and PKK members on Tuesday afternoon in Diyarbarkır’s Lice district. The soldiers were taken to Diyarbakır Dicle University Hospital by helicopter. One of the soldiers, who was in critical condition, died of injuries sustained despite medical efforts, the military said.
Later on Tuesday, two more soldiers also surrendered to their wounds and died.
The military said reinforcement units, helicopters and a reconnaissance airplane have been dispatched to the area.

Iraq’s Maliki blames Turkey for fall of Mosul

August 18, 2015 By administrator

Vice President Nouri al-Maliki,

Iraq’s former prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, on Tuesday condemned as having “no value” a parliamentary panel’s findings on the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) which called for him and other top officials to stand trial for negligence.

“What happened in Mosul was a conspiracy planned in Ankara, then the conspiracy moved to Arbil,” Maliki said in posts on Facebook, referring to the capitals of Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Turkey loses over 500,000 Russian tourists in seven months

August 18, 2015 By administrator

More than 500,000 fewer Russians visited Turkey in the first seven months of 2015 in comparison to the same period the year previously, tourism representatives have said, noting the greatest drop-off was seen in the southern hotspot of Antalya.

In Antalya, the trajectory of the tourism industry has been raising concerns, due to the ruble’s devaluation. At the same time, increased militancy and security alerts across Turkey, along with the tarnished image of the country in Europe, have caused a significant fall in tourist numbers.

In the first seven months of the year, the number of Russian tourists to Turkey dropped from around 2 million to 1.4 million year-on-year. However, the number of German visitors rose between January and July by 1.9 percent to 2.1 million, according to the Touristic Hoteliers Association of the Mediterranean (AKTOB).

According to data released by the Antalya Provincial Directorate of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, around 7.2 million total visitors have landed at Antalya and Gazipaşa airports to Aug. 15, a 6 percent fall over the same period in 2014.

The report shows that the leading tourism markets of western, northern and central European countries have faced stagnation and regression in the period.

Turkey coalition deal fails

August 18, 2015 By administrator

A last-ditch effort by Turkey’s incumbent prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, to form a coalition failed on August 17 as a meeting with the country’s main nationalist party ended with no agreement, paving the way for new elections, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

“Mr. Bahcheli said he doesn’t consider a coalition with the AKP [Justice and Development Party] possible,” Davutoglu told reporters at a press conference following his meeting with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahcheli.
Bahcheli was the one who first put forth his position on the matter during their meeting, Davutoglu said, adding that the MHP leader repeated his strict conditions for the formation of a coalition.
Bahcheli not only shut down the prospects for a coalition partnership, but also refused to be part of a short-lived alliance to govern until early elections and support a minority government that would be held by the AKP, Davutoglu said.
“He said they would be present in parliament in the event of a vote on an early election but would not support such a decision,” Davutoglu said after the meeting which took place days before a 45-day deadline to establish a new government runs out on Aug. 23.
Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Chelik accompanied the AKP leader, while MHP Deputy Chair Semih Yalchin accompanied Bahcheli during the meeting. Following their gathering at Bahcheli’s office in parliament, both leaders reviewed the meeting with the executives of their parties.

Armenians considered best jewelers in Turkey

August 18, 2015 By administrator

Armenians are considered the best jewelers even in Turkey, Armenian Dikran Taş, representative of the Turkish Barocco Silver company told Armenian News – NEWS.am.

“There are also Turkish companies and masters, who are beginning to learn this craft. But Armenians continue to be considered the best,” he said.

The company produces silver items, including houseware and ornaments. The latter are acquired by Christian churches in the territory of Turkey, including Armenian, Greek and Assyrian ones. “Recently we had an order from Russia. We made a cross and other utensils for them,” Taş said.

Armenians return from Turkey’s Antalya horrified

August 17, 2015 By administrator

YEREVAN. – Summer vacation of an Armenian couple in Antalya was like a real horror film. The couple, who wished to remain anonymous, told Armenian News – NEWS.am that although they had paid quite a lot for a 10-day vacation in a 5-star hotel, the climate of fear was so strong they had to cancel their vacation and return to Armenia after 4 days.

At the hotel booked by Dolce Travel tour agency, the couple was first taken to a separate subsidiary building with a common toilet. A day after contacting the tour agency, they were taken to the rooms provided for them.

Besides the couple, there were no more Armenians in the hotel; 70% were Azerbaijanis, who were constantly teasing and threatening them.

The couple was especially concerned about one of the reception workers, who kept making offending remarks and reminding they were the only Armenians in the hotel.

The next day, 5 boys surrounded the couple on the beach, talking loudly and laughing; the only thing the Armenian couple could get was the repeatedly used word “Ermeni,” namely Armenian.

The couple managed to leave the beach and reach the hotel with the help of an English family.

However, in the hotel, they again came across the 5 Azerbaijanis, who were talking to a hotel worker, the one who was teasing them. Seeing the couple, the Azerbaijanis laughed, asking in Russian: “So, Ermeni, did you have a good rest?”

“It was no longer possible to stay there; wherever we went, the Azerbaijani kids were crying “Ermeni.” We wanted to change the hotel, but they required 450 dollars for that,” the couple said.

Finally, the couple phoned to the tour agency, changed the day of the return ticket and returned to Armenia. They tried to get back their money, but the company refused to compensate, offering large discounts for other packages.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Tourism in Turkey is so Bad Turkish resort municipalities call for delay of school opening over bad tourism season

August 17, 2015 By administrator

MUĞLA – Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

The mayors of three Aegean resort towns in Turkey have called on the Education Ministry and Culture Ministry to postpone the reopening of schools by two weeks, in order for the tourism sector to compensate for the losses it has suffered this summer.

The mayors of three districts in Muğla province issued a joint press statement calling for the school year opening date to be postponed by two weeks, in order to incorporate the Eid al-Ahda (Feast of Sacrifice) four-and-a-half-day official holiday.

Bodrum Mayor Mehmet Kocadon from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Marmaris Mayor Ali Acar from the CHP, and Fethiye Mayor Behçet Saatcı from the Democratic Party (DP), had held a meeting to discuss the tourism situation amid a sharp drop in the number of visitors this season.

Stating that the 2015-2016 school year was due to start on Sept. 14, just one week before the Eid al-Ahda holiday, the three mayors urged the ministries to postpone the opening of schools so that local tourists have more time to travel freely and thus boost the flagging sector.

“We request that the opening of the schools be delayed until after the Eid al-Ahda holiday, believing that this will positively benefit our domestic tourism and economy, offer a partial recovery to the tourism enterprises that have undergone great loses, and allow families to plan their holidays beforehand,” the joint statement read.

The bad economic situation of Russia, the war in neighboring Syria, the recent terror attacks inside Turkey by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and the Turkish military’s operations against PKK camps in northern Iraq and within Turkey have all had a negative effect on the income from tourism across the country.

How Erdogan humiliated Syrian people Turn them into refugees in the street of 10 Turkish cities

August 17, 2015 By administrator

DHA photo

ISTANBUL

The number of Syrian refugees in 10 cities across Turkey now rivals the population of local residents and even outnumbers it in one city, a senior Turkish official has told the Hürriyet Daily News.

“In at least 10 cities, the number of Syrian refugees now constitutes a sizable portion of the city,” the official said during a meeting with a small group of journalists on Aug. 15.

The official specifically referred to the town of Kilis in the southeast near Turkey’s border with Syria, which he described as a “Syrian city” in terms of population. “The local population is 108,000 and the number of refugees is 110,000,” he said.

A relatively small portion of the Syrian refugees in Turkey are in 25 camps across 10 cities. The remainder tries to make a living in cities, many in very harsh conditions.

Tourism crumbling Turkey loses British tourists in addition to Russians

August 16, 2015 By administrator

Burak Coşan – DALAMAN.

DHA photo

The number of British tourists visiting Turkey has been decreasing amid security and political concerns, according to sector representatives, compounding the issue of the country losing around 30 percent of its Russian tourists, mainly due to economic problems in Russia.

“We have seen a decrease of around 5 percent in the number of British tourists. Around 1 million of the 1.7 million tourists visiting this site are British tourists, but we are losing them,” said Hilton Resort Hotel CEO Hakan Alpay, in the Aegean resort of Dalaman.

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell in the first half of the year while the outlook for the rest of 2015 looked gloomy, as heightened security risks have weighed down tourists’ appetite for visiting the country.

Foreign arrivals fell 2.25 percent to 14.89 million people in the first six months, data from the Culture and Tourism Ministry showed on July 29. Turkey’s tourism income decreased by 13.8 percent in the second quarter of the year, down $7.73 billion compared to the same period of the previous year, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

With escalating violence within and around the country and rising economic problems in Russia, Turkey’s tourism players have warned of worse numbers in 2016.

“While the hotel occupancy rates decreased by 10 percent in some touristic centers, these facilities lost 30 percent in income compared to the last year. Many touristic facilities experience financial losses due to the decrease in the tourist numbers as well as continuing unplanned hotel investments. We’ll see the same, even worse problems next year as well,” said Alpay, claiming around 30 big hotels in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya changed hands this year due to negativities in the sector.

Further decrease may be seen

The number of tourists visiting Antalya decreased by 500,000 in the first half of the year from the same period of 2014.

“We saw a decrease of around 15 percent in Dalaman. We lost around 5 percent in the number of British tourists,” Alpay said, adding around 1 million of the site’s 1.7 million foreign visitors come from Britain.

“We cannot endure further decreases in the number of British tourists,” he said, adding the number of tourists from the Netherlands decreased by 3 percent, from Belgium by 20 percent, from Denmark by 22 percent, from Sweden by 15 percent, from Ireland by 10 percent and from Norway by 13 percent this year compared to the previous year.

Alpay noted the importance of perception management in tourism.

“We have seen sharp decreases in the number of future reservations for the last month. We need to tell foreign people how our country is safe,” he said, calling on the Culture and Tourism Ministry to take action.

Unless such measures are taken, Turkey will lose a greater number of foreign tourists, mainly British tourists, he added.

Source: hurriyetdailynews.com

August/16/2015

Turkey: Curfew declared in Turkey’s east over clashes with PKK fighters

August 16, 2015 By administrator

MUŞ – Anadolu Agency

DHA photo

A curfew has been declared in the Varto district of eastern Muş province over clashes with outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), while five security personnel were killed in attacks over the weekend.

Muş Governor Vedat Büyükersoy said the governorate had declared a curfew starting from 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 16 until further notice in order to provide security, Anadolu Agency reported.

Büyükersoy added PKK militants were present in Varto and operations against the militants were continuing.
Early on Aug. 16, PKK militants raided a worksite in the district and demolished a bridge at an entrance to the district with bulldozers they had seized.

In the eastern province of Kars, one soldier was killed Aug. 16 in armed clashes between the local gendarmerie and suspected PKK militants.

The clashes erupted during a gendarmerie special team operation in Kars’ Kağızman district. Gendarmerie CSM Nurettin Öztürk succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Another wounded soldier was reported to be in a good condition.

Three suspected PKK militants were killed in the clash and their weapons were seized. An air-supported security operation started in the area.

The clashes came one day after three soldiers and a police officer were killed in attacks by the PKK in eastern Turkey.

The three soldiers were killed when an explosive device laid by PKK militants on a road in the Karlıova district of eastern Bingöl province was detonated on Aug. 15, the Turkish Army said in a statement. “Three of our soldiers were martyred and six wounded,” the army said.

An official ceremony was held in Bingöl for three fallen soldiers identified as Gendarmerie NCO Muhammed Gürlek, Specialized Sgt. Haşim Dirik and Specialized Sgt. Musa Saydam.

The body of Gürlek was set to be laid to rest in the western province of Osmaniye, while Dirik’s body was sent to the Aegean province of Manisa for his funeral. Saydam’s body was sent to the western province of Kırıkkale, where he would be laid to rest.

Later on Aug. 15 a police commissar died after coming under attack by PKK militants as security forces were sealing trenches dug by the rebels in the Şemdinli district of the southeastern Hakkari province, Doğan News Agency reported.

Police Commissar Ahmet Çamur, 46, was brought to the Black Sea province of Trabzon for his funeral and burial after an official military ceremony was held in the southeastern province of Van.