Turkey has rejected German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel's strong criticism Thursday of Ankara's detention of six human rights activists, including a German national.
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin described the criticism as unfortunate, but said Ankara remains committed to German-Turkish relations.
Gabriel criticized Ankara for detaining the rights activists and for a wider crackdown following a failed coup last year in Turkey.
The German foreign minister announced a number of measures cautioning German nationals on the risk of visiting Turkey, and the dangers' of arbitrary arrests.
The six activists are being held on suspicion of supporting a terrorist organization, a charge widely used in the detention of more than 50,000 people since Turkey's introduction of emergency rule.
Ten German nationals have been detained in the crackdown so far.
Turkey appears to be downplaying Gabriel's comments. We think that those unfortunate statements are about internal politics aimed at the approaching elections in Germany, Kalin said. Germany holds general elections in September.
Kalin also said that Turkey's judiciary was independent and that Germany's legal system unfairly treated Turkish citizens who have been accused of espionage.
German authorities have accused Turkish nationals, including imams sent by Turkey's religious affairs directorate, of spying on critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In 2015, three Turkish nationals were arrested for spying. Turkish media reported one of those detained was close to Erdogan.
Tensions have been simmering between the two NATO allies for several years, but last July's failed coup has brought those tensions to a boiling point.
Ankara accuses Berlin of harboring people involved in the failed coup, while the German government counters that Turkish officials have failed to provide evidence to back their claims.
German Foreign Minister Gabriel also warned of the risks of investing in Turkey.
The warning follows German media reports that Ankara has compiled a list of German companies operating in Turkey that are being investigated for links to suspected coup conspirators. Among them were industrial giants Daimler and BASF. Turkish officials have denied the reports.
Hundreds of Turkish companies, worth billions of dollars, have been seized under emergency rule because of alleged links to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Ankara blames Gulen for the failed coup. Gulen denies the allegation.
Germany is Turkey's largest trading partner, and many German companies have been based in the country for decades.
Turkish financial markets recorded only moderate falls following Berlin's threats. There are doubts that Berlin is prepared to follow through on the threats.
Trade is very lively between Turkey and Germany and the rest of Europe at the moment, but it's a double-edged knife, as any sanctions will hurt both sides.
Turkey's valuable tourism industry could be most vulnerable, according to analysts.
The German foreign minister's advice to its own citizens it might not be safe to go to Turkey is kind of scary, said Atilla Yesilada, a political consultant for Global Source Partners.
It's not going to be good for tourism. Some of the late reservations could be affected; a lot of Europeans use Turkey as a last resort, so the effect could be substantial.
Yesilada says Berlin's warning that $3.4 billion in European Union aid could be at risk is more important. The aid is in exchange for Turkey controlling refugees entering Europe.
The incentive for retaliation on the Turkish side would be immense, i.e., to relax the supervision of Syrian refuges allowing them to sail off to across the Aegean Sea to Greece, or cross the Turkish-Bulgarian border.
That would mean all-out war between Turkey and EU,Yesilada said.
More than one million migrants escaping war and persecution in Africa and the Middle East crossed into Europe in 2015, the International Organization for Migration estimated.
Despite new pressure from Berlin, Ankara defends its crackdown and shows no sign of giving any concessions.
This week's Cabinet reshuffle sends a message. The foreign minister, interior minister, EU minister are all hardliners in supporting the crackdown, all kept their jobs. So a change is not on the books,Yesilada said.
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Tourism, Travel, Hospitality, Conservation: News,Stories And Experiences From Allover The World
Showing posts with label Visit Turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Visit Turkey. Show all posts
Friday, 21 July 2017
Wednesday, 5 July 2017
TURKEY: US To Lift Laptop Ban On Flights From Ataturk AirportI
The United States is set to lift a ban on carrying large electronic devices, such as laptops, in the cabin of Us-bound flights from Turkey's main international airport, Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said on Tuesday.
Arslan was quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu as saying the ban would be lifted on July 5 following a visit by a Us delegation.
Its removal would come after Turkey began using highly sophisticated tomography devices for X-ray and ultrasound at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport, he said.
US officials are to inspect the machines on Wednesday.
With this confirmation mission, the ban will be lifted from Ataturk airport and from Turkish Airlines, Arslan said.
So it is an advantage for us that this hasn't gone on too long, he added. Ataturk is the only airport in Turkey with direct flights to the United States.
Late Monday, Turkish Airlines chief executive Bilal Eksi said on Twitter he expected the ban to be lifted on Wednesday.
Arslan was quoted by NTV television as saying Turkey had also been talking with Britain about removing its ban on the transport of laptops in cabin baggage from Istanbul.
Britain imposed the ban on laptops on direct flights originating from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey.
Flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, which has seen exponential international growth in recent years, had responded to the ban by offering laptops to business-class travellers in May.
The US on Sunday lifted a ban on passengers taking such devices on Etihad Airways flights from its base in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, the first airliner to benefit from a removal of the ban
The decision came after the airline implemented enhanced security measures, a spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security said.
The ban was put into place after intelligence officials learned of efforts by Islamic State jihadists to produce a bomb that could be secreted inside such devices.
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
Arslan was quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu as saying the ban would be lifted on July 5 following a visit by a Us delegation.
Its removal would come after Turkey began using highly sophisticated tomography devices for X-ray and ultrasound at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport, he said.
US officials are to inspect the machines on Wednesday.
With this confirmation mission, the ban will be lifted from Ataturk airport and from Turkish Airlines, Arslan said.
So it is an advantage for us that this hasn't gone on too long, he added. Ataturk is the only airport in Turkey with direct flights to the United States.
Late Monday, Turkish Airlines chief executive Bilal Eksi said on Twitter he expected the ban to be lifted on Wednesday.
Arslan was quoted by NTV television as saying Turkey had also been talking with Britain about removing its ban on the transport of laptops in cabin baggage from Istanbul.
Britain imposed the ban on laptops on direct flights originating from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey.
Flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, which has seen exponential international growth in recent years, had responded to the ban by offering laptops to business-class travellers in May.
The US on Sunday lifted a ban on passengers taking such devices on Etihad Airways flights from its base in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, the first airliner to benefit from a removal of the ban
The decision came after the airline implemented enhanced security measures, a spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security said.
The ban was put into place after intelligence officials learned of efforts by Islamic State jihadists to produce a bomb that could be secreted inside such devices.
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
Thursday, 1 June 2017
TURKEY: Are Visitors Going Back To Turkey?
The number of foreign visitors to Turkey rose for the first time since a row with Russia deepened a crisis in the nation’s tourism industry.
Tourist arrivals rose 18 percent from a year ago to just over 2 million in April, ending a losing streak that began in August 2015 and worsened after Turkey shot down a Russian jet near its border with Syria bringing ties with Moscow to a near-collapse.
Russia, then the second-biggest source of visitors, responded by banning travel to Turkey for tourism.
A tourism recovery is crucial for Turkey, which relies on the foreign-exchange revenue to plug part of a current-account gap predicted to reach 4.7 percent of gross domestic product this year.
Nearly a year after Turkey apologized to Russia for the jet incident, the April data is the first sign of a possible turnaround, according to Muammer Komurcuoglu, an economist at IS Investment in Istanbul.
Tourism revenue may jump more than expected this year if the trend continues, Komurcuoglu said in an emailed note on Tuesday, adding that he had predicted a 10 percent increase.
This will have a positive impact on the current-account gap and growth, he said.
Gross travel income was about $18.7 billion last year, according to central bank data.
Even so, the data illustrate just how much ground the tourism industry needs to make up. Excluding the 2016 comparison, visitor numbers in April were still the lowest for that month since 2010.
The improved figures also came at a cost, according to the Turkish Touristic Hotels and Investors Association. While average hotel occupancy rose to 61.2 percent last month from 52.9 percent a year earlier, the average daily rate in the key Istanbul market fell from 111.9 euros to 78.5 euros in the same period, it said on Tuesday.
Tourist arrivals rose 18 percent from a year ago to just over 2 million in April, ending a losing streak that began in August 2015 and worsened after Turkey shot down a Russian jet near its border with Syria bringing ties with Moscow to a near-collapse.
Russia, then the second-biggest source of visitors, responded by banning travel to Turkey for tourism.
A tourism recovery is crucial for Turkey, which relies on the foreign-exchange revenue to plug part of a current-account gap predicted to reach 4.7 percent of gross domestic product this year.
Nearly a year after Turkey apologized to Russia for the jet incident, the April data is the first sign of a possible turnaround, according to Muammer Komurcuoglu, an economist at IS Investment in Istanbul.
Tourism revenue may jump more than expected this year if the trend continues, Komurcuoglu said in an emailed note on Tuesday, adding that he had predicted a 10 percent increase.
This will have a positive impact on the current-account gap and growth, he said.
Gross travel income was about $18.7 billion last year, according to central bank data.
Even so, the data illustrate just how much ground the tourism industry needs to make up. Excluding the 2016 comparison, visitor numbers in April were still the lowest for that month since 2010.
The improved figures also came at a cost, according to the Turkish Touristic Hotels and Investors Association. While average hotel occupancy rose to 61.2 percent last month from 52.9 percent a year earlier, the average daily rate in the key Istanbul market fell from 111.9 euros to 78.5 euros in the same period, it said on Tuesday.
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