Today's Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Interviews

‘Iraqis within the Kurdistan Workers’ Party may be pardoned’

MELIK DUVAKLI — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

The Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq might be willing to grant amnesty to militants of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Nechirvan Barzani, a prominent political figure in the region, has stated in an interview with Today’s Zaman.

"Turkey following Atatürk’s foreign policy, not pursuing neo-Ottomanism"

ERCAN YAVUZ — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Professor Ali Arslan, a lecturer at the department of history at İstanbul University who specializes in the history of the Turkish Republic, says it is wrong to regard Turkey’s current foreign policy, which is geared toward the Middle East, as neo-Ottomanism as its current direction signifies a return to the foreign policy followed during the time of the country’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. “The prime minister criticizes not the Israeli state, but the Israeli government,” he says, referring to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent remarks about Israel.

Yunus Arıkan: Turkey can be key to opening Copenhagen deadlock

YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Yunus Arıkan, spokesman for the world's cities on climate change, has said Turkey can be a key country in ending the deadlock at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) meetings in December in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, where the world will try to find a solution to climate change.

Recent initiatives assurance of growth, stability, state minister says

ALI ASLAN KILIÇ — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Speaking on the economic dimensions of the recent initiatives taken up by the government, State Minister Cevdet Yılmaz has said the initiatives will improve democratic standards and function as a pledge for economic growth and stability.

EU puts pressure on Georgia for more media freedom

ABDULLAH BOZKURT — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Georgian broadcasters and print media professionals vented their long-held frustrations against the government at a two-day European Union-backed conference in the capital of Tbilisi this week.

CHP İstanbul deputy Korkmaz: Polarization negatively affecting the economy

ALİ ASLAN KILIÇ — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul deputy Esfender Korkmaz, who notes that Turkey has the potential to triple its $1-billion-strong economy, says that crisis management negatively affects the overall state of the economy.

Actress Mansur calls on public figures to support democratic initiative

YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Actress and activist Lale Mansur has said she wishes more public figures would show support for democratic initiatives in Turkey because the public sees them as role models.

SHP leader Hüseyin Ergün: Turkish left at critical juncture

ALİ ASLAN KILIÇ — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Social Democratic People's Party (SHP) leader Hüseyin Ergün has said that a major portion of the Turkish left has failed to renew itself and is stuck with ideas from the 1930s while some leftists have caught the “disease of neonationalism.”

Greek Cypriot leader Christofias sees no solution possible before December summit

SELÇUK GÜLTAŞLI — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias has said he sees no solution, either before the end of the year or even by next year, to the long-running Cyprus problem.

Professor Karaosmanoğlu: Time for military to respect democracy

YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Ali Karaosmanoğlu, an academic with expertise in civilian-military relations, has said the military’s “hands-off” position on politics has become more visible since the second half of 2007 but that it should do more.

Italy’s motto in ties with Turkey: A friend in need is a friend indeed

EMINE KART — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT

There has been an increase in visits and activities related to its bilateral relations with Turkey by Italy this year when compared to previous years and these actions have not been coincidences, but have happened deliberately, Italian Ambassador to Turkey Carlo Marsili stated.

Turkey’s democratic steps have a lot in common with US interests

YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Michael Werz, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C., has said if Turkish society continues on its path of democratic reform and vigorous public debate about its future, it will play an important role in the region where it has a lot of interests in common with the United States.

DSP İzmir Deputy Harun Öztürk: Turkey should focus on surviving without the IMF

ALI ASLAN KILIÇ — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:00:00 GMT

The lack of an agreement thus far between the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a good development, according to Democratic Left Party (DSP) İzmir deputy Professor Harun Öztürk, who says Turkey should focus on surviving without the IMF.

Security expert Bal says new Turkey is more confident in solving problems

YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Security and terrorism expert İhsan Bal has said the Turkish government has focused on grassroots level measures to combat the problem of terrorism and as a result adopted a democratization program involving social, economic and cultural reforms.

AI refugee coordinator: We wish Turkey was as refugee-friendly as the Ottomans

AYŞE KARABAT — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:00:00 GMT

"As human rights activists, we wish Turkey had preserved its Ottoman heritage with respect to its refugee policy. Then the situation would not be as disastrous,” says Volkan Görendağ, the refugee affairs coordinator of the Turkish branch of Amnesty International.