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| Identifier | Subject | Date | Office | Classification | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02ISTANBUL1933 |
ISTANBUL'S MARKET ANALYSTS COME TO TERMS WITH [...] (C) Summary: While much of Istanbul's secular establishment remains wary and suspicious of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development (AK) party, soundings among market insiders in Istanbul on the eve of Sunday's polls show a more nuanced view among the city's business elite. In contrast [...] |
2002-11-01 16:04:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV ECON TU |
| 02ISTANBUL2088 |
REVIEW OF THE FULBRIGHT GLOBAL WOMEN'S [...] SUMMARY. PA Istanbul cooperated with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in executing the first-ever Fulbright-sponsored conference bringing together 110 r 110 women from the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia to focus on the role of women as leaders in [...] |
2002-11-29 12:12:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | KPAO SCUL TU |
| 02ISTANBUL2101 |
Istanbul Anti-War Protest [...] (U) Around 5,000 people in Istanbul protested against a possible U.S.-led operation against Iraq on Sunday. The anti-war demonstration was organized with the participation of more than 170 NGOs, including the country's three big unions: Turk-Is (the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions), the [...] |
2002-12-03 13:07:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL TU |
| 02ISTANBUL2107 |
ANNAN CYPRUS PLAN: ISTANBUL COMMENTATORS [...] (C) Summary: Turks in Istanbul continue to debate the merits and drawbacks of a possible Cyprus settlement in the wake of Denktas's acceptance of the UN plan as a "basis for negotiations." Consensus among the experts with whom we have spoken in Istanbul (including Turkish Cypriots, journalist [...] |
2002-12-04 10:00:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV TU GR CY UN |
| 02ISTANBUL2110 |
ISTANBUL'S MINIATURE OECD: ENCOURAGING PRIVATE [...] (U) SENSITIVE-- NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Officials at Istanbul's Center for Private Sector Development, a joint undertaking of the OECD and Turkish International Cooperation Administration (TICA), outlined an ambitious program of seminars and programs for next year [...] |
2002-12-09 06:02:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EAID TU |
| 02ISTANBUL2195 |
LIMITED COPENHAGEN FALLOUT FAILS TO PROVIDE RELIEF [...] (SBU) Summary: The week after Copenhagen has been a tough one on Turkey's financial markets. The Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) has slumped dramatically, losing over 14 percent of its value, the Turkish lira has depreciated 7 percent, and interest rates on lira-denominated Treasury bills have [...] |
2002-12-23 12:56:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV ECON EFIN TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1014 |
GENC (YOUNG) PARTY MACHINATIONS IN KIRKLARELI [...] (C) Genc (Young) Party is in the process of attempting to build a Turkey-wide base of support, seeking to co-opt local politicians and appeal to broadly-nationalist sentiment. Conversations with political leaders in one rural province suggest that the combination of political ambition, murky b [...] |
2003-07-23 10:58:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1015 |
MARKET ANALYSTS OPTIMISTIC FOR THE SHORT-TERM, BUT [...] Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2. (SBU) Summary: Istanbul market analysts have welcomed recent progress in Turkey-IMF relations and indications that the oft-delayed fifth review can be wrapped up by early to mid-August. As a result they are "optimistic" for [...] |
2003-07-23 12:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1025 |
ARMENIAN CHURCH POLITICS AND TURKEY-ARMENIA [...] (SBU) Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II advised the Ambassador during his July 16 farewell call that aggressive efforts by the Armenian Catholicos in Etchmiadzin to assert primacy over the Armenian community in Turkey could increase Turkish tensions on the Armenian issue in the coming months. Spec [...] |
2003-07-24 08:03:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL AM TK |
| 03ISTANBUL1039 |
WAITING FOR THE BIG ONE... IS ISTANBUL PREPARED [...] (SBU) Summary: Despite continued public awareness about the likelihood of a major earthquake in the next 30 years, Istanbul remains ill-prepared for a major natural disaster. To the extent that municipal and state officials have begun to focus on this critical issue, the bulk of their attention [...] |
2003-07-25 11:05:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | SENV PGOV ECON EAID TK |
| 03ISTANBUL1041 |
OLYMPIC GAMES: ISTANBUL 2012? [...] (SBU) Summary: On June 15, Istanbul formally submitted its application to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. 8 other cities had also thrown their hats into the ring: London, Paris, New York, Madrid, Moscow, Leipzig, Havana, and Rio de Janeiro. Despite [...] |
2003-07-25 14:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV ECON KOLY TK |
| 03ISTANBUL1068 |
NEW STUDIES HIGHLIGHT FRAGILE RECOVERY [...] Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2. (U) Summary: Two new national surveys of Turkish companies highlight signs of recovery from the devastating financial crisis of 2001. The studies, carried out separately by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) and the Is [...] |
2003-07-31 06:55:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN TU |
| 03ISTANBUL113 |
ISTANBUL MARKETS "WAIT AND SEE" ON GOVERNMENT [...] (SBU) Summary: Leading Istanbul bankers and market analysts see current market sentiment as one of "watchful waiting," but believe that despite recent declines in the stock market, there is an underlying expectation that the Turkish government will reach agreement with the IMF on the fourth r [...] |
2003-01-27 13:57:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL118 |
TURKISH HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP REQUESTS GUANTANAMO [...] (U) On January 21, Poloff met with Ahmet Mercan, Istanbul Chairman of Islamically-oriented Turkish human rights group Mazlum-Der (Organization of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People). Mazlum-Der provided Poloff with a letter dated January 13, 2003, requesting information on a Turk [...] |
2003-01-29 05:30:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM PREL |
| 03ISTANBUL1200 |
ISTANBUL ECONOMISTS CHEER RECENT GOOD NEWS, BUT [...] Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2.(SBU) Summary: Istanbul market analysts are pleasantly surprised by recent positive developments in the economy, and accept the rationale for the IMF's preemptive decision to reschedule much of Turkey's 2004 and 2005 debt repay [...] |
2003-08-14 14:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1231 |
CHP ISTANBUL CONGRESS: ONE INJURED, NO FATALITIES [...] (U) Summary: The Republican People's Party's August 3 Istanbul congress showcased a spirited contest between supporters of party leader Deniz Baykal and opposition groups within the party. When the votes were counted, Baykal's candidate, Sinasi Oktem, won easily, but a brawl on the congress [...] |
2003-08-20 13:59:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL127 |
RISING ANTI-AMERICAN SENTIMENT AND U.S. POLICY [...] (C) Summary: Widespread and increasingly vocal opposition to a possible war against Iraq is on the verge of evolving into a more general anti-American backlash in Istanbul. Our observations, Istanbul contacts, and recent polls and surveys lead us to believe that anti-American sentiment is shar [...] |
2003-01-29 14:33:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV KPAO PTER KISL TK |
| 03ISTANBUL1347 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH (FINALLY) MEETS WITH AKP [...] (C) SUMMARY: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I met with FonMin Abdullah Gul and IntMin Abdulkadir Aksu on August 8 and 12, respectively. Though both ministers publicly and warmly received Bartholomew, the meetings did not yield any concrete steps forward on property issues or recognition of [...] |
2003-09-12 21:04:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1348 |
DEEDS FOR SALE! GET YOUR PROPERTY DEEDS RIGHT HERE! [...] (SBU) Summary: A property amnesty currently being planned by the Justice and Development (AK) Party government has set off a flurry of debate and criticism in Istanbul. AK sees the measure as a potential major source of revenue, a realistic solution to a long-ignored problem (i.e., "illegal" [...] |
2003-09-15 05:11:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV ECON TK |
| 03ISTANBUL1356 |
PM ERDOGAN CALLS FOR U.S. ACTION AGAINST PKK/KADEK [...] (U) Summary: In a September 12 public speech, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called for a leading U.N. role in Iraq, Turkish contributions to Iraq's stability and reconstruction, and U.S. action against PKK/KADEK. Without attaching any specific pre-conditions, the PM said that Turkey is still [...] |
2003-09-15 11:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1364 |
UNEMPLOYMENT: TURKEY'S OTHER CRISIS [...] (U) Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2. (SBU) Summary: While market attention is focused on IMF program implementation and the sustainability of Turkey's debt, joblessness and underemployment remain the key preoccupations of the bulk of the Turkish population. [...] |
2003-09-16 05:18:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1384 |
THE ISTANBUL BAR AND ITS DETRACTORS [...] (C) Summary and Comment: The Istanbul Bar is at once a defender of the legal profession and historically a leader in promoting respect for human rights and rule of law in Turkey. With a broad and ambivalent membership and a new nationalist/statist administration, however, the Bar currently ap [...] |
2003-09-18 12:08:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1395 |
SLIPPERY SLOPE TO SHARI'A?: ISTANBUL DEBATES AKP [...] (sbu) Summary: Ask anyone in Istanbul what's wrong with the Turkish education system and you are likely to get the same answer: overcrowded, under-funded schools tied up in bureaucratic red tape. Fixing the problem, however, has been the subject of considerable acrimonious political debate. C [...] |
2003-09-19 12:20:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV KISL SOCI TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1409 |
ISTANBUL REPUBLICAN PEOPLE'S PARTY: HOPING FOR [...] (C) Summary: Istanbul Republican People's Party (CHP) contacts report widespread internal discontent with CHP Chairman Baykal and the CHP's performance over the last several months. Although Baykal has successfully taken firm control of the Istanbul party organization, the party has so far be [...] |
2003-09-24 05:49:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1410 |
WHOSE ISLAM? AK PARTI AND ISTANBUL ALEVIS [...] (C) SUMMARY: Alevis, followers of a heterodox religious-cultural offshoot of Shi'a Islam and Anatolian Sufism, probably number about 10 percent of Turkey's population (7 million, with several million in Istanbul), although some Alevis assert that there are 25 million. Persecuted by the Ottoman [...] |
2003-09-24 05:49:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1427 |
ISTANBUL VIEWS ON SENDING TURKISH TROOPS TO IRAQ [...] (C) Summary: Istanbul residents from all walks of life continue to worry about the situation in Iraq and the prospect of sending troops to Iraq. Whomever we meet with, and whatever the subject, the conversation inevitably turns to Iraq. Despite the widespread opposition before the U.S. inter [...] |
2003-09-26 08:31:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1449 |
WEIGHING CORPORATE TURKEY'S FOREIGN EXCHANGE RISK [...] (SBU) Summary: Central Bank Governor Sureyya Serdengcti this month added his voice to those expressing concern about the risks to the Turkish economy posed by the growing open positions of companies in the real sector. Observers agree that while the Turkish banking sector-- whose own open pos [...] |
2003-09-30 13:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL149 |
PROTESTANTS TRY ADAPTIVE APPROACH TO CHURCH [...] (SBU) Summary: Seventeen nascent Protestant churches have adopted a novel legal tactic designed to circumvent regulations that for years have made it nearly impossible to receive zoning approval for a church or prayer group. The success or failure of this strategy depends on the outcome of th [...] |
2003-02-04 12:00:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1517 |
AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH MINORITY RELIGIOUS LEADERS [...] (sbu) Summary: During courtesy calls on the Armenian Patriarch, Chief Rabbi, and Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan, Ambassador Edelman promised to maintain close relations with each community and to press the GOT to implement broader protection for religious freedom in Turkey. Each of the communit [...] |
2003-10-14 11:39:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1579 |
TWO MURDERS, THREATS SHAKE ISTANBUL JEWISH [...] (C) Summary: A recent extortion campaign against members of a Jewish retirement home's board of directors has shaken Istanbul's Jewish community. One of the board members, Yasef Yahya, was killed on August 22 at his office. Starting three weeks ago, other members of the board have been contac [...] |
2003-10-27 05:58:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | KCRM PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1596 |
SECURING UNDELIVERED IRAQI MEDIA EQUIPMENT: UPDATE [...] P/E Chief met on Monday, October 27 with al-Huda San Company General Manager Mutasem Mujahed and his new parter Ibrahim Kahraman of the Kaptan Foreign Trade Company to review the status of the equipment order cited in Ref a. The two confirmed that all links between Sega Dis Ticaret and al-Hu [...] |
2003-10-28 11:27:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | EFIN IZ KPAO TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1616 |
AKP LAYS ISTANBUL GROUNDWORK FOR MARCH 28 LOCAL [...] (sbu) Summary: Following Ruling AK Party national congress (reftel), the Istanbul AK Party organization is gearing up vigorously at the grassroots level for next year's March 28 municipal elections. Not content merely to rely on the party's performance at the national level, the Istanbul AK P [...] |
2003-10-31 13:56:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TK |
| 03ISTANBUL1617 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH CONTEMPLATES CUBA VISIT [...] (C) Summary: Ecumenical Patriarchate leadership confirms that Patriarch Bartholomew is considering a trip to Cuba on January 21, 2004 to dedicate a new Orthodox Church. Now aware of USG concerns about the trip, the Patriarch may reconsider. Action request in para 5. End Summary. 2. (C) [...] |
2003-11-03 05:58:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM TU CU |
| 03ISTANBUL162 |
TURKEY ALPHABET SOUP: ISTANBUL'S MYRIAD BUSINESS [...] (SBU) Summary: Istanbul, Turkey's economic, commercial and cultural capital, hosts a rich diversity of business voices, all seeking to influence both government policy and international perceptions of Turkey. Leader of the pack is the venerable TUSIAD-- Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen [...] |
2003-02-06 14:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1627 |
KURDISH LANGUAGE NUDGES INTO PRIME TIME [...] (SBU) Summary: In a small sign that Turkey's EU reforms are beginning to have some impact, Kurdish singer Ciwan Haco performed on a popular prime time television show on October 25. The show's host, Hulya Avsar, herself half-Kurdish, took pains to strike a balance between Turkish patriotism a [...] |
2003-11-04 08:48:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1647 |
POSSIBLE EDUCATION MINISTRY MOVEMENT ON HALKI? [...] (SBU) Summary: Recent encouraging comments by Turkish government officials about prospects for re-opening Halki Theological Seminary have sparked extensive press interest. Education Minister Huseyin Celik, in a recent meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, said that re-opening Halki (p [...] |
2003-11-05 08:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1676 |
REACTION MUTED TO NEW PENSION OPPORTUNITIES [...] Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2. (SBU) Summary: Turkey's new private pension system was unveiled with much fanfare at the end of October, with optimistic prognosticators predicting that up to 10 million Turks will enroll over the next decade. Initially six [...] |
2003-11-12 06:21:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1687 |
GEBZE INDUSTRY SEES AWAKENING ECONOMY [...] Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2. (SBU) Summary: Industrialists in the Marmara region industrial town of Gebze told visiting P/E Section Chief and Poloff that recent positive economic developments are finally beginning to be felt at their level, and that they [...] |
2003-11-12 13:53:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EINV EFIN PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1698 |
TURKISH ORTHODOXY: ONE PATRIARCH, THREE CHURCHES, [...] (C) Summary: It's hard to be a patriarch with a tiny domain. Recently-enthroned Turkish Orthodox Patriarch Pasa Umit Erenerol is the third Patriarch of a "church" that dates its founding back to 1922 and the heat of a civil war. Today, the patriarch's writ goes no further than his extended fa [...] |
2003-11-14 10:53:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1703 |
ISTANBUL SYNAGOGUES BOMBED [...] (u) Bombs detonated simultaneously at two of the major Jewish synagogues in Istanbul at approximately 9:30 am have claimed dozens of lives and injured over a hundred people. Based on observations by the Consul General, RSO, and poloffs at both sites, it appears that both buildings were targeted [...] |
2003-11-15 11:49:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PTER PREL ASEC TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1710 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH CONFIRMS CUBA TRAVEL PLANS [...] (C) SUMMARY: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew still plans to travel to Cuba in January, 2004, to attend the opening of an Orthodox church in Havana. Bartholomew did not take USG and international concerns into account in deciding on this trip, focusing instead on competition with the Russian [...] |
2003-11-17 10:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL TU CU |
| 03ISTANBUL1711 |
ISTANBUL REACTS TO SYNAGOGUE BOMBINGS [...] (sbu) Summary: Istanbul is still stunned by the shock and horror of Saturday's synagogue bombings. The overwhelming response has been to view this as a senseless and unjustifiable attack, not merely against Turkey's small Jewish community, but against Turkey itself. Despite widespread specul [...] |
2003-11-17 14:12:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL PTER TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1739 |
DUZCE: BLESSED BY NATURE, CURSED BY NATURE [...] (sbu) Summary: On November 12-13, the fourth anniversary of a major earthquake, Poloff visited Duzce, a small Black Sea province halfway between Istanbul and Ankara. Impoverished by natural disasters and cruel circumstances, Duzce is Turkey's newest province and has placed its trust in the Jus [...] |
2003-11-19 14:14:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV ECON EAGR TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1744 |
NEW BOMBING WAVE TARGETS BRITISH INSTITUTIONS [...] No summary [...] |
2003-11-20 13:58:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PTER PREL ASEC TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1752 |
BOMBING UPDATE [...] No summary [...] |
2003-11-21 14:11:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PTER PREL ASEC TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1759 |
ISTANBUL GOVERNOR COMMENTS ON TERRORIST ATTACKS [...] (U) After examining sites of the November 15 and 20 terrorist attacks, the Ambassador visited the Istanbul Mayor and Governor on November 24 to extend the condolences of the United States and to offer any further assistance that might be required during the investigations Istanbul Gover [...] |
2003-11-26 09:54:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PTER PREL PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1760 |
TURKEY: A NEW FRONT FOR INTERNATIONAL TERROR [...] (U) Summary: Istanbul is slowly recovering from the shock of two separate sets of terrorist bombings that claimed over 50 lives and wounded 750 in one week. Although both the synagogue bombings (ref a) and the latest bombings of the British Consulate and HSBC Turkey headquarters (ref b) appear [...] |
2003-11-26 11:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PTER PREL PGOV ASEC TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1803 |
BANKING SECTOR PREPARES FOR A "BRAVE NEW WORLD" [...] (SBU) Summary: The strong profits reported by Turkish banks in 2003's third quarter show that the sector is gradually recovering from the effects of the 2001 crisis, according to industry analysts in Istanbul. They note, however, that much of the recent good news is the result of the windfal [...] |
2003-12-05 14:45:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1821 |
U/S GROSSMAN'S 12/9/03 MEETING WITH ISTANBUL [...] (C) Summary: U/S Grossman met with the Governor of Istanbul to express U.S. solidarity with the people of Istanbul and Turkey, and our ongoing cooperation in the war on terror. Guler outlined a series of "lessons learned" from the attacks, and expressed optimism that Turkey would be better pr [...] |
2003-12-11 10:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC OVIP PGOV PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1847 |
ISTANBUL-YEREVAN FLIGHTS: TURKISH FIRM ENTERS THE [...] (C) Summary: Absent an open border between Turkey and Armenia, twice-weekly flights between Istanbul and Yerevan since 1995 have provided some of the only direct contact between Turks and Armenians. Initially operated by the state-owned (and now bankrupt) Armenian Airlines, the rights were ta [...] |
2003-12-18 08:23:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON PGOV AM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1849 |
MACROECONOMIC RESULTS BRING OPTIMISM IN ISTANBUL, [...] Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2. (SBU) Summary: Recent soundings among leading Istanbul market analysts and participants highlight the extent to which Turkey's continued strong macroeconomic performance has left them more optimistic about the future. With s [...] |
2003-12-18 10:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL1872 |
TOURISM'S POSTWAR REBOUND FACES TERROR CHALLENGE [...] (SBU) Summary: Tourism industry executives are again wondering what the future holds for their sector following November's suicide bombings in Istanbul. The attacks interrupted a strong sectoral recovery that saw visitor figures surpass last year's level by the end of November, and tourism r [...] |
2003-12-23 12:53:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL202 |
RELIGIOUS MINORITIES APPREHENSIVE OF LATEST [...] (C) Summary: The General Directorate for Foundations recently enacted regulations that were expected to allow community (i.e. non-Muslim religious) foundations to reclaim seized properties. The new regulations are part of the EU-harmonization reforms aimed at enhancing religious minority righ [...] |
2003-02-20 07:59:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL232 |
ISTANBUL ANTI-WAR PROTESTS: WHAT KEEPS THEM SMALL? [...] (C) SUMMARY: In a country that recent polls show is approximately 94 percent against a war in Iraq, one would expect its largest city to have seen its share of large anti-war demonstrations. Despite a populace that holds views more squarely anti-war than London, Paris or New York, to date pr [...] |
2003-02-25 11:32:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL258 |
DIFFERENCES AMONG U.S. FIRMS GIVE RISE TO NEW [...] (SBU) Summary: With Turkey's new AK government just having marked its hundredth day in office, representatives of American pharmaceutical companies indicate they have not yet judged the time ripe to raise the intellectual property and pricing issues that have beset them in recent years. Despi [...] |
2003-02-28 06:14:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD BEXP KIPR TU |
| 03ISTANBUL280 |
MARKET PLAYERS FACE THE NEW REALITIES [...] (SBU) Summary: Istanbul market analysts are grappling with the new political landscape following Saturday's parliamentary vote against permitting U.S. troops. The development was a shock: despite difficulties in negotiations, the market had long assumed (and priced in) a positive outcome. [...] |
2003-03-04 10:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL294 |
TURKS WEIGH AN IRAQ OPERATION'S TOURISM IMPACT [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkish government and tourism industry officials are bracing in anticipation of a sharp downturn in tourism in the event of an Iraq operation. The sector, Turkey's largest foreign exchange earner, turned in a good performance in 2002, earning over 10 billion USD (27 percent o [...] |
2003-03-07 11:26:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL348 |
TURKISH-ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION COMMISSION MEETS, [...] (C) Summary: Following a March 10 meeting to review and discuss a report it had commissioned from the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), members of the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC) have been unable to reach agreement on how to deal with the contentious " [...] |
2003-03-14 14:08:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL AM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL349 |
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN: CLUES FROM ISTANBUL [...] (U) Summary: In assessing the outlook for the new government to be led by Justice and Development (AK) Party leader Tayyip Erdogan, we look back at his only major previous government experience --- as Istanbul Mayor from 1994 to 1998. End Summary. Refah and Grassroots Politics ---------- [...] |
2003-03-14 14:11:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV SOCI KISL TK |
| 03ISTANBUL386 |
PUSHING BACK ON CENSORSHIP: "ARARAT" AND FREEDOM [...] (U) Summary: Istanbul contacts claim the overall climate for free expression continues to improve. While the GOT continues to censor works dealing with the Kurdish issue and other sensitive topics, improvements in legislation have strengthened the underlying legal basis for freedom of express [...] |
2003-03-24 11:19:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM TK |
| 03ISTANBUL399 |
ARMENIAN PATRIARCH MESROB II ON THE CHURCH, [...] (C) Summary: In a March 13 meeting, Istanbul Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II blamed Catholicos Karekin II and Armenian President Robert Kocharian for increasing tensions within the Armenian Church and criticized the Armenian Diaspora for focusing exclusively on "genocide" recognition and for igno [...] |
2003-03-26 09:58:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL AM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL418 |
ISTANBUL ECONOMIC ANALYSTS: LOOKING FOR A LIFELINE [...] (SBU) Summary: After a rocky start to the week on Monday, word that the U.S. Iraq supplemental contains 1 billion USD for Turkey has been seized on as a lifeline by Istanbul markets and analysts. Concern persists about the sustainability of Turkey's debt, however. Analysts suggest any probl [...] |
2003-03-27 14:33:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL452 |
"RUSSIAN" PROSTITUTION IN ISTANBUL [...] (C) In separate March 26 meetings, Istanbul contacts confirmed that illegal foreign prostitution in Istanbul remains widespread, and that criminal networks, and possibly even corrupted officials, have a lucrative stake in the business. Marmara University sociologist professor Nilufer Narli t [...] |
2003-04-03 08:56:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF UK MD TK |
| 03ISTANBUL465 |
ISTANBUL ECONOMIC PESSIMISM: "MUDDLING THROUGH" AS [...] (SBU) Summary: While not quite so pessimistic as they were two weeks ago about Turkey's immediate economic prospects, Istanbul financial analysts remain decidedly gloomy about the country's mid-term future. All agree that the Treasury seems to have next week's debt auction well in hand. In [...] |
2003-04-07 08:56:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL467 |
ISTANBUL WORRIES ABOUT WAR, U.S.-TURKEY TIES, [...] (U) Summary: With apparently over ninety percent of the local population opposed to the war in Iraq, anti-war sentiment in Istanbul continues to harden as reports and images of civilian casualties stream in over the sympathetic news networks. Among Istanbul's academic and business elite, howe [...] |
2003-04-07 12:59:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL ECON TK |
| 03ISTANBUL469 |
ISTANBUL STUDENTS VOICE NUANCED UNDERSTANDING OF [...] (U) Summary: Istanbul pol/econoffs hosted a group of 11 students from Istanbul's Beykent University to discuss current political developments in the Middle East and the Turkish/U.S. relationship. The students were unanimously opposed to the war. However, the group demonstrated a nuanced unde [...] |
2003-04-07 13:01:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL49 |
ISTANBUL'S TAKE ON AK ECONOMICS: ALL ISN'T LOST [...] (C) Summary: Istanbul contacts in the financial and real sectors agree that in its first month and a half Turkey's Ak government "hasn't gotten it" and has done a poor job on economic policy, thereby dissipating much of the goodwill generated by initial perceptions that a single-party governme [...] |
2003-01-13 05:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV ECON EFIN ETRD TU |
| 03ISTANBUL508 |
SUB-GOVERNORS SURVEY SECURITY AND POLITICS IN [...] (C) SUMMARY: In recent meetings, several of Istanbul's kaymakams (sub-governors) were surprisingly open in describing the challenges they face in overseeing proper functioning of the security apparatus. Pointing to a massive rural-urban migration to Istanbul over the past several decades as a [...] |
2003-04-11 13:05:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL588 |
POWER AT ANY PRICE? CEM UZAN'S POLITICAL AMBITIONS [...] (C) Summary: Initial contacts with Youth Party (GP) officials in Istanbul confirm our belief that the party is essentially a vehicle of convenience for media tycoon Cem Uzan's considerable political ambitions. At the same time, GP is not resting on its laurels, but instead is moving quickly t [...] |
2003-04-28 08:52:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TK |
| 03ISTANBUL635 |
TURKEY'S BANKING SECTOR: ON FIRMER GROUND, BUT NOT [...] (SBU) Summary: Industry and government contacts in Istanbul and Ankara concur that Turkey's banking sector has improved considerably since the 2001 crisis. Government moves to impose effective and independent oversight through the creation of the Banking Regulatory and Supervision Agency (BR [...] |
2003-05-05 10:03:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN ECON TU |
| 03ISTANBUL636 |
ISTANBUL MAYORALTY: UP FOR GRABS? [...] (C) Summary: The Istanbul Mayoralty, often characterized as the second most desirable political prize in the country, has become the focus of a back-room power struggle as players jockey for ground in advance of the April 2004 local elections. Mayor Ali Mufit Gurtuna, an independent since the [...] |
2003-05-05 11:03:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TK |
| 03ISTANBUL644 |
THE "ARMENIAN ISSUE" IN ISTANBUL [...] (C) Summary: Most of those Turks we have spoken with in Istanbul are largely ignorant of the tragic fate of at least hundreds of thousands of Armenians who were killed in 1894-5 and especially in 1915-16 throughout Anatolia toward the end of the Ottoman Empire. Turkish history books and readil [...] |
2003-05-07 08:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV AM TK |
| 03ISTANBUL667 |
WOLFOWITZ AND PERLE REMARKS REVIVE DEBATE ON [...] (C) Summary: Recent remarks by DOD Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz and Defense Policy Board Member Perle have revived a rancorous public debate in Istanbul on the status of U.S.-Turkish relations. Reactions to the May 6 Wolfowitz interview on CNN Turk also dominated our previously-scheduled May 7 [...] |
2003-05-09 10:45:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV TK |
| 03ISTANBUL671 |
ISTANBUL IN THE SPRINGTIME: RESURGENT OPTIMISM [...] (SBU) Summary: As a belated spring bursts forth on the Bosphorus following an unusually cold and protracted winter, "spring is also in the air" in Istanbul business circles. The resurgent optimism stems from speedy conclusion to the war in Iraq and belief that its short-term cost for Turkey w [...] |
2003-05-09 13:55:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL698 |
MINORITY RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN TURKEY: A [...] (C) SUMMARY: Recent legal changes in property rights for minority foundations have elicited varied responses from different religious communities in Turkey. The history of Turkish and Ottoman minority communities plays into their respective views on pastoral concerns, political connections, p [...] |
2003-05-15 04:08:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL752 |
CEM UZAN STUMPS YOUTH IN ISTANBUL [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Genc Party leader Cem Uzan's recent speech to a gathering of university student leaders in Istanbul provided insight into both his political skills and shortcomings as he seeks to build on his surprisingly strong showing in last year's election. While charismatic in some ways, [...] |
2003-05-28 04:40:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL760 |
LEADERSHIP IN THE ORTHODOX WORLD: THE ECUMENICAL [...] (C) SUMMARY: Though divided among many national churches, all Orthodox leaders except the Russian Orthodox recognize the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul, Bartholomew II, as first among equals. Located in "The Second Rome," the Ecumenical Patriarch traces a line of succession back to St. Andr [...] |
2003-05-29 04:55:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 03ISTANBUL776 |
TURKISH ARMED FORCES DEPUTY AFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO [...] (C) Summary: Declaring at a globalization conference that the Turkish military is not against Turkey's pursuit of EU membership, deputy chief of the TGS Buyukanit further qualified the military's stance with a series of reservations and an indirect but clear set of jabs at the U.S. End summar [...] |
2003-05-31 09:26:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL777 |
TACKLING TURKEY'S PRODUCTIVITY GAP: MICRO MATTERS [...] (SBU) Summary: While most attention in Turkey remains focused on the country's macroeconomic fundamentals, a new McKinsey Global Institute report is directing attention to the productivity gap that separates Turkey from the U.S. and Europe and the microeconomic reforms that must be taken to c [...] |
2003-05-31 09:26:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV PGOV TU |
| 03ISTANBUL796 |
EXPORTS REMAIN STRONG, BUT LIRA WORRIES PERSIST [...] (SBU) Summary: New figures released by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) on June 2 show that Turkey's exporters withstood the challenge of a strengthening lira and set a new monthly export record of USD 3.9 billion in May, a 30.7 percent increase over 2002. For the year ending May 31, exp [...] |
2003-06-03 15:01:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN PREL TU |
| 03ISTANBUL880 |
AKP AND THE ISTANBUL "ESNAFLAR": A PERFECT MATCH? [...] (SBU) Summary: Support from the Istanbul "esnaflar" ) small businessmen, restaurant owners, craftsmen, shopkeepers, street vendors, and taxi and truck drivers - may have contributed to the Justice and Development (AK) Party's November 2002 electoral success, but this support may be less solid [...] |
2003-06-23 10:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV ECON EFIN TK |
| 03ISTANBUL894 |
AKP ISTANBUL CONGRESS: "MUEZZINOGLU RELOADED" [...] (U) Justice and Development (AK) Party Chairman and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan headlined the June 22 AK Istanbul Congress. There were no surprises (in fact, no challengers at all) in the reelection of Istanbul Chairman Mehmet Muezzinoglu, and Erdogan's unscripted speech focused on predicta [...] |
2003-06-25 04:27:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV ECON TK |
| 03ISTANBUL91 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH ON ESPHIGMENOU MONASTERY [...] (SBU) On January 16, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew passed the Consul General a copy of a recent Ecumenical Patriarchate "Notification on the Sacred Monastery of Esphigmenou." The notification (see below) reiterates the Patriarchate's position on the long-standing dispute with the Esphigmen [...] |
2003-01-22 05:37:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PGOV KIRF GR TK |
| 03ISTANBUL953 |
SULTANBEYLI: A HIGHWAY RUNS THROUGH IT... AND [...] (SBU) Summary and Comment: A recent visit to Sultanbeyli, one of Istanbul's poorer Asian districts, highlights how Turkey's uneven economic gains in recent years have widened the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots." The modern Istanbul-Ankara highway runs right through this conservative, [...] |
2003-07-09 08:32:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV SOCI TK |
| 03ISTANBUL96 |
AMBASSADOR'S JANUARY 14 EXCHANGES WITH ISTANBUL [...] (C) Summary: In a series of January 14 discussions, the Ambassador reassured prominent Turkish businessmen, academics, and journalists that there is no crisis in U.S.-Turkish relations. He outlined in general terms the USG-GOT discussions on Iraq, and made the case that the status quo in Ira [...] |
2003-01-22 14:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL EFIN TU |
| 03ISTANBUL967 |
ISTANBUL - NOB Move - Good-bye Palazzo Corpi [...] On this day, the staff of AmConGen Istanbul is moving to its newly finished and dedicated office building in Istinye some 11 miles northeast of the historic "Palazzo Corpi," which has served as the centerpiece of a U.S. Legation, U.S. Embassy, and U.S. Consulate since its own completion in 1 [...] |
2003-07-10 13:25:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | AMGT |
| 04ISTANBUL1019 |
A/S JONES MEETING WITH IRAQI FM ZIBARI AND IRAQI [...] (C) Summary. During the run-up to the Istanbul Summit June 27, A/S Jones and CPA Foreign Policy Director Ronald Neumann discussed Iraq's security challenges and a new NATO-Iraq relationship with Iraqi FM Zibari and Iraqi MoD Sha'alan. Jones and Zibari agreed that their informal meeting with [...] |
2004-06-30 08:34:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL IZ TU NATO |
| 04ISTANBUL1062 |
TURKEY'S FIRST TIP VICTIM SHELTER: SECRETARY [...] Summary: Secretary Powell and FM Gul witnessed the signing of a protocol that will lead to the opening of Turkey's first shelter for trafficking in persons victims later this month. The signing ceremony, which attracted significant attention and publicity, publicly committed the Turkish gov [...] |
2004-07-09 07:01:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREF TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1074 |
ARMENIAN "GENOCIDE" AND THE OTTOMAN ARCHIVES [...] (sbu) Summary: The lack of agreement and dialogue on the so-called Armenian "genocide" question remains a major obstacle to Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. A long-term resolution of this problematic issue can only be built on an open dialogue and healthy academic debate. Free and complete ac [...] |
2004-07-12 09:01:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV AM TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1090 |
NEW OIC SECRETARY GENERAL ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE, [...] (C) Summary and Comment: Elected on June 16 as the next Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) Secretary General (reftel), Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met with poloff on July 12 to discuss his recent election, plans for the organization, and views on a range of topics. Well-known to the Consul [...] |
2004-07-13 11:28:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | KISL PREL PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1249 |
TURKISH TRUCKING ASSOCIATION URGES HALT TO WORK [...] (sbu) Immediately following the August 2 murder of Murat Yuce, a former Turkish trucker who had been held hostage in Iraq, Turkey's largest transporters' association released a statement calling on its members to halt work on all U.S. military contracts in Iraq. The non-binding statement may [...] |
2004-08-09 07:27:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD PTER PREL IZ TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1279 |
GREEK, ARMENIAN PROPERTY WOES PROMPT COMPARISON [...] (sbu) Summary: Turkey's Istanbul-based minority religious communities report that while recent legislation has enabled them to "legalize" ownership of numerous properties already under their control, the new law is inadequate in that it does not permit the community foundations (mostly Greek O [...] |
2004-08-16 09:22:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1346 |
ISTANBUL'S JULY VOLUNTARY PRINCIPLES MEETING: [...] (SBU) Summary: Industry participants in the July 23 Istanbul voluntary principles meeting tell us that while they are "interested in and supportive in principle" of the initiative, it is unworkable unless Russian oil companies also participate. They also stressed that while consideration of [...] |
2004-08-27 03:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EPET EWWT PREL EINV SENV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL136 |
ISTANBUL ANTI-TRAFFICKING EFFORT UPDATE [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Poloff met January 14 with Human Resource Development Foundation (HRDF) Executive Director Demet Gural in Istanbul to get an update on TIP programs and efforts to put together a shelter for trafficked women. To date, the GoT has offered no funding for a separate shelter for tr [...] |
2004-01-22 10:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1371 |
ISTANBUL ANALYSTS ON CURRENT ACCOUNT RISKS [...] (SBU) Summary: Despite positive international and domestic developments, including the Turkish government's recognition of the need for a new stand-by agreement for the 2005-2007 period, Turkish markets have remained range-bound in recent weeks. Many analysts attribute the markets' failure t [...] |
2004-09-01 11:35:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1459 |
THE FUTURE OF ORTHODOXY [...] (sbu) Summary: In addition to the struggle to maintain Istanbul as a viable seat for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Bartholomew faces a rising challenge for moral and ecclesiastical authority within the Orthodox world from Moscow-based Russian Patriarch Alexy II. End Summary. 2. (sbu) Ecumen [...] |
2004-09-22 11:20:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1484 |
A MARINER'S VIEW OF THE TURKISH STRAITS [...] (U) In meetings with Consulate and Embassy officers last week, British Petroleum maritime consultant Vice Admiral Sir Christopher Morgan provided a mariner's view of the issues the Turkish straits pose for transiting oil tankers. Morgan, who accompanied a BP Suezmax tanker through the straits [...] |
2004-09-29 10:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EWWT ENRG ECON SENV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1488 |
TURKISH TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS OUTLINE CONTINUING [...] (SBU) Summary: Representatives of Turkey's two leading transporters associations told us in meetings this week that their members perceive a deteriorating security situation in Iraq, with problems now reaching as far as Mosul in the north. They also continue to see serious problems with the [...] |
2004-10-04 03:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD PTER PREL IZ TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1558 |
CUKUROVA FAILS TO COME THROUGH AGAIN [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkey's stock market was shaken Tuesday as it absorbed news that the Cukurova Group had again missed the deadline for completion of the first payment under its early payment plan with the Turkish Savings Deposit Fund (SDIF). The ISE-100 dropped 2.15 percent Tuesday as a resul [...] |
2004-10-15 06:17:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1575 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE FOCUSES ON SECURITY ISSUES [...] (SBU) Summary: Following the October 7 hand grenade attack on the compound of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Fener, Consulate security personnel have worked closely with officials there to provide security advice. The Patriarchate's chief administrative officer, Chancellor Theoliptos, express [...] |
2004-10-19 07:33:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1624 |
TURKEY AND THE EU: HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS, BUT [...] (SBU) Summary: Sessions at last week's Istanbul conference of Europe's Green Party highlighted Turkey's hopes and aspirations to gain a date for the beginning of accession negotiations, but also lingering sensitivities about perceived EU discrimination against Turkey and local discomfort abou [...] |
2004-10-28 08:50:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1677 |
KUCUKARMUTLU: APPLE OF ISTANBUL'S EYE AND [...] (u) Summary: A storm is brewing in the Istanbul neighborhood of Kucukarmutlu, pitting Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and its plans for a technology park against local residents and politicians. ITU recently reiterated its intention to seek implementation of court decisions to evict tens [...] |
2004-11-09 06:48:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV SENV ECON EAID TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1714 |
THE PLIGHT OF TURKS IN WESTERN THRACE: RED HERRING [...] (sbu) Summary: There is a solid strain of Turkish opinion promoting the idea of "reciprocity" re dealing with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Increasingly, opinion makers and the GOT attempt to justify the current situation by citing the "mistreatment" of Turks living in Greece. The Association [...] |
2004-11-17 11:11:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV GR TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1716 |
SECURITY AND PAYMENT HEAD LIST OF TURKISH BUSINESS [...] (SBU) Summary: A range of Turkish companies active in Iraq outlined their main concerns in a November 5 meeting with Turkey Caucus co-chair Representative Ed Whitfield. Security and payment issues headed the list, with companies reporting not just serious problems in ensuring the safe delivery [...] |
2004-11-18 08:54:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD ENRG MOPS PREL PTER TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1728 |
ISTANBUL BUSINESS LEADERS FOCUS ON EU [...] (SBU) Summary: In separate meetings the week of November 8, Istanbul business leaders told visiting State Department Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Frank Mermoud and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Rockwell Schnabel that they are optimistic both about Turkey's [...] |
2004-11-19 07:56:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN EINV ECON TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1729 |
REPUBLICAN PEOPLES' PARTY: IS THE YELLOW ROSE [...] (sbu) Summary: Open warfare between main opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal and Mustafa Sarigul ("Yellow Rose" in Turkish), the popular CHP mayor of Istanbul's Sisli district, will probably lead to Sarigul's eviction from the party. Few observers doubt that the corruption allegations against [...] |
2004-11-19 08:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1751 |
VIEWS FROM IZMIR ON IRAQ, EU MEMBERSHIP, HUMAN [...] (SBU) Summary: Izmir business and religious leaders, NGOs and a journalist shared their views on human rights, Iraq, Turkey's EU membership and religious issues November 12 with Izmir liaison officer. The Izmir branches of the Human Rights Foundation and the Bar Association, both involved with [...] |
2004-11-24 03:37:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | IZ PHUM PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1753 |
GREEK BUYUKADA ORPHANAGE SEIZED; BALIKLI HOSPITAL [...] (c) Summary: Against the expectations of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Turkish Supreme Court on October 10 upheld a lower court decision revoking the Patriarch's deed of ownership for the long-vacated Greek Orthodox orphanage at Prinkipos (Buyukada) and awarded ownership to an already-confi [...] |
2004-11-24 10:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1804 |
CRITICISM OF U.S. POLICY IN IRAQ PERVADES BMNEAI [...] (SBU) Summary: Linkage of the BMENAI with U.S. policy in Iraq was a common theme of speakers at a Cultural Initiative Symposium on the Greater Middle East and North Africa Project (BMENAI) in Istanbul in November. A wide range of Turkish academics, former GOT officials, and European diplomats [...] |
2004-12-06 08:52:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | TU IZ PREL KPAO KMPI |
| 04ISTANBUL1807 |
TURKISH TEXTILE FIRMS SEE A GRIM FUTURE [...] (SBU) Summary: Leading Turkish textile exporters tell us they are deeply pessimistic about prospects for the sector, warning that the end of the global quota system next month will lead to mass layoffs in Turkey unless "an exit" is found. In a recent meeting organized by the Istanbul Textile [...] |
2004-12-06 11:31:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN EINV ECON TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1819 |
ISTANBUL PROTESTANTS CONTINUE TO FACE CHALLENGES [...] (SBU) Summary: While acknowledging that the environment for religious minorities in Turkey has significantly improved over the past several years, leaders of several Istanbul Protestant churches claim that they continue to face legal hurdles and cultural prejudice in their activities. Because [...] |
2004-12-08 02:31:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1821 |
MEETING WITH KAPTANOGLU SHIPPING COMPANY [...] (SBU) P/E Chief and Consular Section Chief met on December 7 with H. Ismail Kaptanoglu Ship Management and Trading Company Managing Director Sadan Kaptanoglu and other company executives to review Coast Guard security concerns and possible action against the company. While reiterating that th [...] |
2004-12-08 04:26:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EWWT CVIS ETRD PREL KFRD TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1837 |
ISTANBUL POLITICS: AKP CONSOLIDATES CONTROL [...] (sbu) Summary: Following dominatig victories in the arch 28 local elections, Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials in Istanbul have sought to furthr consolidate power by attracting converts from ther parties and have transferred key assets fro the few remaining non-AKP districts to are [...] |
2004-12-09 10:45:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1868 |
THE NEW EU? ARRANGING MARRIAGES ON TURKISH [...] (u) Summary: With Turkey on the verge of receiving a historic invitation on December 17 to begin membership negotiations, Europe is seized with the question of whether Turkey is sufficiently "European." Religion and economic disparities aside, Turkish television provides a window into some ke [...] |
2004-12-15 05:01:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL SOCI TU |
| 04ISTANBUL190 |
ISTANBUL EMPLOYERS' MUTED REACTION TO TURKEY'S [...] Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2. (SBU) Summary: The recent decision of the Turkish government to increase Turkey's minimum wage by 38 percent, while also raising pensions by 21 percent, has sparked strong criticism in financial circles, but only a muted reac [...] |
2004-01-30 13:56:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1925 |
ISTANBUL ANALYSTS ON MARKET DEVELOPMENTS, [...] (u) Summary: Istanbul market analysts were not surprised at the relatively moderate size of the post-EU decision rally, because they believe that much of the good news had already been priced into the markets during the last few months. They expect, however, that interest in Turkish financial [...] |
2004-12-27 05:44:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | EFIN TU |
| 04ISTANBUL194 |
ENERGY REPORTING OFFICER INFORMATION [...] No summary [...] |
2004-02-05 11:19:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ENRG APER |
| 04ISTANBUL1944 |
RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE OR WINDOW DRESSING [...] (sbu) Summary: In trying to burnish ruling AKP's religious tolerance credentials, Prime Minister Erdogan attended the December 5 opening of a museum at an Armenian Hospital in Istanbul and four days later presided over the opening ceremony for a new mosque-church-synagogue complex near Antaly [...] |
2004-12-28 11:25:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL1953 |
ISTANBUL ORGANIZATIONS ADDRESS STREET CHILDREN AND [...] (SBU) Summary: Pickpocketing incidents, particularly those involving cellular telephones, have risen sharply throughout Turkey in 2004, with the highest jump in Istanbul. National attention following an incident leading to the death of a student in Istanbul in November prompted the formation [...] |
2004-12-30 06:05:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV ASEC CASC TU |
| 04ISTANBUL262 |
BOSPHORUS DELAYS EASE BUT ISSUES REMAIN [...] (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for internet distribution. 2. (SBU) Summary: Shipping delays on the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits have eased in recent days but the war of words surrounding the issue continues. Russia's oil pipeline monopoly Transneft strongly criticized Turkish [...] |
2004-02-20 11:26:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ENRG EINV ECON PREL SENV EWWT TU |
| 04ISTANBUL266 |
CHALDEANS LEAVING IRAQ THROUGH ISTANBUL [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: A significant number of Chaldean-Iraqis have left Iraq, and are currently taking refuge in Istanbul. Estimates vary on the size of the group, with Turkey's de facto Chaldean leader estimating 4,600, while Catholic relief Charity Caritas thinks around 1,500 refugees may currently [...] |
2004-02-20 12:58:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL276 |
ZORLU CFO OUTLINES THE GROUP'S TUPRAS PLANS [...] Sensitive but unclassified - not for internet distribution. 2. (SBU) Summary: In a February 18 meeting with Econoff, Zorlu Group Chief Financial Officer Cem Koksal outlined the group's strategy for completion of the purchase of the Turkish refiner Tupras, predicting agreement with Turke [...] |
2004-02-24 12:34:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ENRG EINV ECON PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL295 |
TURKISH FIRST ARMY COMMANDER ON US/TURKEY [...] (u) Summary: During the course of a February 26 courtesy call by the Ambassador, First Army Commander General Buyukanit offered his views on U.S.-Turkish military-to-military relations, the ongoing Cyprus negotiations, and the Greater Middle East. End Summary. Mil-Mil Relations --------- [...] |
2004-02-26 12:18:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV CY TU |
| 04ISTANBUL298 |
ISTANBUL COURT HANDS DOWN INDICTMENTS IN BOMBING [...] (U) Summary: Prosecutors at Istanbul's State Security Court on February 25 formally indicted 69 alleged conspirators in November's 4 terrorist attacks. Approximately 50 of the accused are now in custody. However, a number of key figures, including the alleged leader of the Turkish al-Qaida c [...] |
2004-02-26 13:39:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL PTER ASEC TU |
| 04ISTANBUL356 |
EXECUTIVES HIGHLIGHT BUOYANT STOCK MARKET BUT [...] (SBU) Summary: In meetings with Ambassador Edelman on February 26, executives at the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) and Foreign Investors' Association (YASED) focused on two extremes of Turkey's current economic performance: the buoyant stock market, which has risen 80 percent over the last ye [...] |
2004-03-08 11:49:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN TU |
| 04ISTANBUL365 |
ISTANBUL KURDS FOCUS ON IRAQI "KURDISTAN" [...] (C) Summary: Previously polarized and defined by their degree of support and sympathy for the PKK (later KADEK, now KONGRA-GEL) and imprisoned former PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, Istanbul Kurds tells us they have increasingly adopted Iraqi Kurds and their experiment with autonomy as their new ca [...] |
2004-03-09 12:55:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM PTER IZ TU |
| 04ISTANBUL374 |
FUROR OVER ATATURK'S DAUGHTER'S ARMENIAN ANCESTRY [...] (sbu) Summary: Recent claims reported in two Turkish newspapers that the late Sabiha Gokcen -- Ataturk's adopted daughter and Turkey's first female pilot -- was Armenian have exposed an ugly streak of racism in Turkish society. The reports led a number of prominent figures to make racist rema [...] |
2004-03-10 12:55:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL376 |
ISTANBUL KURDS FOCUS ON IRAQI "KURDISTAN" [...] (C) Summary: Previously polarized and defined by their degree of support and sympathy for the PKK (later KADEK, now KONGRA-GEL) and imprisoned former PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, Istanbul Kurds tells us they have increasingly adopted Iraqi Kurds and their experiment with autonomy as their new ca [...] |
2004-03-10 13:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM PTER IZ TU |
| 04ISTANBUL381 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH APPOINTS NON-TURKS TO CHURCH [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: In an attempt to ensure the viability of his institution in the face of the declining Orthodox community in Turkey, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, first among equals in the Orthodox world, appointed six non-Turkish citizen metropolitans to the church's Holy Synod. The twel [...] |
2004-03-11 12:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL401 |
ARMENIAN PATRIARCH DISCUSSES ONGOING CONCERNS [...] (C) SUMMARY: Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II believes the run-up to a decision for Turkey on EU accession in December provides the best opportunity in years to get movement from the GoT on a variety of problems faced by minority communities, including church administration and property issues, cl [...] |
2004-03-17 10:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL402 |
ISTANBUL INVESTMENT CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS FAMILIAR [...] (U) Summary: The long-planned but oft-delayed International Investment Advisory Council (IAC) meeting grouping CEO's from leading multinationals finally took place in Istanbul on March 15. Organized by the Turkish government with cooperation from the World Bank and International Monetary Fu [...] |
2004-03-17 13:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN TU |
| 04ISTANBUL403 |
"HONOR KILLING" SHOCKS ISTANBUL, HIGHLIGHTS [...] (u) Summary: The tragic murder of 22-year old Guldunya Toren on February 26 by two of her brothers at a Bakirkoy district hospital shocked Istanbul, captured several days of media coverage, and highlighted the fact that the tradition of "honor killings" remains deep-set, even in Turkey's most [...] |
2004-03-17 13:21:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL432 |
TERROR STRIKES ISTANBUL MASONIC LODGE [...] (SBU) Summary: On March 9, a botched suicide attack against an Istanbul Masonic lodge left 2 dead and 7 wounded (reftel). Investigations continue, but police statements and assorted press reports suggest that there may have been a network of planners and accomplices, as well as connections to [...] |
2004-03-22 07:29:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PTER PHUM PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL448 |
ISTANBUL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS FOR DUMMIES [...] (u) Summary: The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is poised for landslide victories in most of the March 28 Istanbul municipal elections. AKP candidate Kadir Topbas looks to be a shoo-in for the top prize -- Istanbul Mayor -- and AKP candidates are also expected to take the lion's share of [...] |
2004-03-24 08:33:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL474 |
TURKEY'S JEWISH COMMUNITY: FRIGHT BUT NOT FLIGHT [...] (C) SUMMARY: Two synagogue bombings and a recent attack on a Masonic lodge (which attackers reportedly believed was filled with Jews) have thoroughly unnerved Turkey's Jewish community. Synagogue services are now more centralized and sparsely attended, and youth and cultural groups have suspe [...] |
2004-03-26 07:50:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PTER TU |
| 04ISTANBUL492 |
TURKS PROTEST YASSIN'S DEATH, CONDEMN ISRAEL, U.S. [...] (u) Summary: Protesters burned Israeli and American flags at a symbolic funeral held for the former Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin following the noon prayer on Friday, March 26, in the Sultanahmet district, in central Istanbul. About 5,000 people participated in the demonstration organized b [...] |
2004-03-30 12:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL PHUM KISL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL530 |
GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE: YOUNG [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: AMBASSADOR EDELMAN'S MEETING WITH A GROUP OF ISTANBUL ACADEMICS PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAUGE REACTIONS OF INFORMED INTERLOCUTORS TO THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE. SEVERAL WARNED OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, AND OTHERS WONDERED IF THE PROPOSED COMMITMENT COULD BE SUSTAI [...] |
2004-04-06 11:27:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KPAO KDEM KMPI XF TU |
| 04ISTANBUL610 |
TURKISH POLICE SEIZE 4.4 TONS OF MORPHINE BASE [...] (C) Summary: Turkish National Police (TNP) seized 4.4 tons of morphine base, with an estimated value in Turkey of USD 15.5 million, in a raid on an Istanbul warehouse on March 29. The group targeted in the recent raid has connections to other narcotics trafficking groups in Turkey and elsewher [...] |
2004-04-20 07:25:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL71 |
PATRIARCH AGREES TO HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION ON [...] (C) SUMMARY: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I plans to travel to Cuba to accept title to a rebuilt Greek Orthodox Church in Havana. He has undertaken to raise human rights concerns both publicly and privately while in Cuba, and has agreed to a reception hosted by U.S., Greek, and Turkish d [...] |
2004-01-12 11:23:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL CU PHUM TU |
| 04ISTANBUL789 |
TRUCKING INTO THE EU...VIA CYPRUS? [...] (SBU) Summary: Hundreds of Turkish truckers were stopped for days at several EU border crossings on May 1 when European customs officials insisted that they present insurance cards valid in Cyprus. Although the crisis was resolved by issuing replacement insurance cards, Turkish truckers and [...] |
2004-05-17 04:18:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ELTN ETRD GR PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL797 |
THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH STRIKES BACK [...] (sbu) Summary: Following a decision by Archbishop Christodoulos of Greece to appoint three new bishops without his approval, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and an enlarged Holy Synod formally broke communion with Christodoulos on April 30 and called on the newly-appointed bishops not to assu [...] |
2004-05-20 08:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL GR TU |
| 04ISTANBUL798 |
TURKISH-ARMENIAN RAPPROCHEMENT: NO LIGHT AT THE [...] (c) Summary: Until now Istanbul-based initiatives have had an important role to play in track-two moves to improve Turco-Armenian relations. However, the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC), much-derided by the Armenian diaspora and largely ignored by Turks, has discontinued its [...] |
2004-05-20 08:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV AM TU |
| 04ISTANBUL843 |
"WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU": NEW COMMISSION DISPLAYS [...] (c) Summary: A delegation of the new inter-ministerial commission charged with resolving outstanding minority issues visited Istanbul in January to meet with the leaders of the religious communities and to follow up on complaints that the religious leaders had passed to Prime Minister Erdogan l [...] |
2004-05-28 10:01:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 04ISTANBUL868 |
RELIGIOUS MINORITIES STILL FACE DIFFICULTIES IN [...] (U) Summary: Prime Ministry human rights Director Vahit Bicak offered an upbeat assessment of Turkey's progress in addressing religious minority foundations' legal issues at a May 15 NGO-organized symposium. Nonetheless, religious minority foundations stressed that they still face serious [...] |
2004-06-03 08:59:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV TU PHUM |
| 04ISTANBUL891 |
TURKEY RAISES NORTHERN CYPRUS AVIATION LINKS IN [...] (SBU) Summary: Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and his visiting delegation reviewed the bilateral transportation relationship with Turkish Minister of Transportation Binali Yildirim in a full day of meetings in Istanbul on Monday, May 24. Yildirim took the opportunity to press for t [...] |
2004-06-08 09:53:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EWWT EAIR ELTN ECON PREL TU CY |
| 04ISTANBUL90 |
LATE OFFER MUDDIES TUPRAS PRIVATIZATION [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkish analysts are reacting positively today to yesterday's announcement that the highest bid for privatization of two-thirds of the state refinery Tupras came in at 1.3 billion USD. While the press has been critical of the offer, the bid values the overall company at 2 billi [...] |
2004-01-14 15:48:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV PREL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL974 |
TURKEY'S "EURO" VISION [...] Summary: While European officials assess GOT efforts toward meeting the Copenhagen Criteria in advance of the EU Council's important December Summit, Turkey's de facto integration into the cultural life of Europe deepens. Turkey's hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul, along wit [...] |
2004-06-21 07:00:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL SCUL TU |
| 04ISTANBUL975 |
HALKI: REAL PROGRESS AT LAST? [...] (C) Summary and Comment: The Ecumenical Patriarchate, having learned through a variety of sources that the government is reportedly working to reopen the Halki Seminary, is optimistic this could happen in September. According to the Patriarchate, the proposal purportedly under development b [...] |
2004-06-21 08:32:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1 |
TURKEY GETS A DATE FROM THE EU, ISTANBUL REACTS [...] (u) Summary: The December 17 EU decision to begin membership negotiations with Turkey in October 2005 was greeted in Istanbul with a mixture of relieved satisfaction and lingering skepticism. Following the initial euphoria after the decision was announced, some Turks in academic circles alrea [...] |
2005-01-03 10:03:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV EU TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1075 |
BMENAI: MFA BMENAI COORDINATOR AND NEA DAS CARPENTER DISCUSS [...] (C) Summary: In a cordial June 21 meeting with NEA DAS Scott Carpenter in Istanbul, MFA Coordinator for the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (BMENAI) Ambassador Omur Orhun reiterated Turkey's strong support for the initiative and its determination to express that support throu [...] |
2005-06-23 14:07:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | KDEM PREL TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1080 |
DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE COMES TO LIFE IN [...] (U) Summary: A June 20-21 Istanbul symposium within the framework of the Democracy Assistance Dialogue (DAD) focused on "Empowering Women in Public Life and Democratic Development in the BMENA Region." At this first issue-focused DAD activity, nearly 100 NGO and government representatives e [...] |
2005-06-23 16:27:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | KDEM PREL TU XD XF XI |
| 05ISTANBUL1127 |
U.S. OIL COMPANY BLAZES TRAIL IN BLACK SEA NATURAL [...] (SBU) Summary: In a project that company executives confidently predict will soon be a banner success for U.S. investment in Turkey, Torreador Energy Corporation (the former Madison Oil Company) is moving forward to full development of a natural gas field off of Akcakoca on Turkey's western Bl [...] |
2005-07-01 05:32:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | BEXP ENRG EINV ECON TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1164 |
AK'S BUSINESS BASE GOES CALLING IN ANKARA [...] (SBU) Summary: Representatives of the Independent Businessmens' Association (MUSIAD) returned on June 30 from a three-day lobbying junket to Ankara, where they pressed for government action to assist small and medium-sized enterprises, arguing that it is time to "rehabilitate the real sector a [...] |
2005-07-07 14:48:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1170 |
"WORLD TRIBUNAL" CONFAB CONDEMNS COALITION [...] (U) Summary: A self-appointed "World Tribunal on Iraq" (WTI) comprising an international group of academic and civil society activists met in Istanbul from June 24-27 to charge the U.S. and U.K. governments with waging an illegal war of aggression in Iraq, recommend coalition forces' immediat [...] |
2005-07-07 16:19:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | IZ PREL TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1199 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH: FRUSTRATED WITH GOT INERTIA [...] (C) Summary: In a July 11 introductory call with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Charge reaffirmed USG support for religious pluralism and freedom in Turkey, for the re-opening of the Halki seminary on Heybeli Island, and for Turkey's EU accession process as the best way forward for achiev [...] |
2005-07-13 11:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1283 |
BMENA REGION BUSINESSWOMEN BRAINSTORM IN ISTANBUL [...] (U) Summary: On July 11-12, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Istanbul Center hosted a workshop on "Building Awareness of Women's Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)," at which some 90 participants from MENA and other countries brainst [...] |
2005-07-26 07:53:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | KDEM KWMN KMPI TU XD XF XI BMENA |
| 05ISTANBUL1289 |
ISTANBUL - OSAC COUNTRY COUNCIL UPDATE [...] (U) Summary. The Istanbul Country Council was "re-established" on February 26, 2003. Post philosophy for the Istanbul chapter has been to hold three to four meetings each year using guest speakers on substantive matters. In April 2004, a new steering committee signed the chapter's charter, [...] |
2005-07-26 17:21:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ASEC |
| 05ISTANBUL1297 |
ALEVI GROUP PUSHES FOR EQUAL FUNDING AND RELIGIOUS [...] (SBU) Summary: The Cem Foundation, an Istanbul-based Alevi organization, presented petitions to the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Education on June 22 demanding proportional public funding for religious institutions, and changes to the religious education curriculum in Turkish public sc [...] |
2005-07-28 07:02:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1313 |
MEDIA GETS IT WRONG ON TWO TERROR STORIES [...] (U) On July 26, TGRT TV station, a part of the Ihlas Group of companies, aired a mistaken report on its daily news program that there had been a large explosion with many injured in Istanbul's Taksim Square. (Note: There was no such explosion. End note.) The report was supplemented by a T [...] |
2005-07-29 14:58:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ASEC KPAO TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1333 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH: KINALIADA CONTROVERSY BOILS [...] (C) Summary: Controversy flared this week between the GOT and the Ecumenical Patriarch after Turkish bureaucrats delayed the opening of a longstanding youth summer camp at a monastery on Kinali Island in an attempt to force church officials to recognize state seizure of that property. Church [...] |
2005-08-03 16:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU OSCE |
| 05ISTANBUL1336 |
RALLYING SUPPORT FOR THE HOCA [...] (C) Summary: In a farewell luncheon for Consul General, Istanbul Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva noted that he is wrestling with a difficult request from a local foundation for a letter in support of Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish-Muslim spiritual leader of a major Islamist lodge who is currently residi [...] |
2005-08-04 12:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | SECRET | CVIS PHUM PREL TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1359 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE RAISES SPECIFIC CONCERNS [...] (C) In a July 11 meeting with Charge (ref A), Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offered to share with us upon his return the points discussed during his July 11-12 discussions in Brussels with EU officials, including European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Enlargement Commissio [...] |
2005-08-09 11:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREL TU OSCE |
| 05ISTANBUL1393 |
CURRENT ACCOUNT CONTINUES TO SWELL [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkey's current account deficit set a new record in June, reaching 2.35 billion USD, for a year-to-date total of 13.7 billion USD and a cumulative total of 19.3 billion USD over the last 12 months. The result slightly exceeded market expectations, but was not a surprise, as Tu [...] |
2005-08-12 13:54:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD ECON EFIN TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1420 |
CHP DISSIDENTS: VOICES FROM ISTANBUL [...] (C) Summary: Discontent among "dissidents" within the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) (ref A) continues to fester in Istanbul. The party's July 31 Istanbul Congress, which began in fisticuffs, left the provincial party apparatus firmly in the hands of supporters of CHP Chairman D [...] |
2005-08-18 15:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU POLITICAL PARTIES |
| 05ISTANBUL1421 |
TURKEY: EURASIA SENIOR ADVISOR MANN'S JULY [...] (C) Summary: In a July 20 meeting in Istanbul with Raphel Moissis, the CEO of the Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA), Senior Advisor for Eurasia Ambassador Steven R. Mann discussed the Greek-Turkey gas interconnector, prospects for Italian-Greek cooperation on the Greece-Otranta line, pr [...] |
2005-08-19 05:37:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | BEXP ENRG GR SENV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL147 |
INTERNECINE WARFARE THREATENS TO SPLIT OPPOSITION [...] (sbu) Summary: Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Deniz Baykal and Sisli Mayor Mustafa Sarigul are set for a collision course at the upcoming January 29-30 party congress. Efforts by Istanbul MP Zulfu Livaneli and CHP delegate Hursit Gunes to present themselves as compromise candidates [...] |
2005-01-28 17:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU POLITICAL PARTIES |
| 05ISTANBUL1492 |
GE CAPITAL ENTERS TURKISH BANKING SECTOR AS TURKS [...] (SBU) Summary: The August 24 announcement that GE Capital will acquire 25.5 percent of the shares of Garanti Bank, one of Turkey's four leading private banking institutions, is a welcome indication of U.S. interest in the Turkish financial sector, following a wave of European acquisitions over [...] |
2005-08-26 15:19:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EINV ECON EFIN BEXP TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1495 |
ISTANBUL BOMBING TRIAL POSTPONED [...] (U) 30 of the 71 defendants in the November 2003 Istanbul bombings were brought before Istanbul's Heavy Penal Court (Agir Ceza Mahkemesi) No. 10 for their closing statements on August 27. Their lawyers reiterated that the attacks were not targeted at the Turkish Republic but at the US and its [...] |
2005-08-29 15:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ASEC PGOV PREL PTER TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1506 |
DAS BRYZA'S ISTANBUL MEETINGS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM [...] (C) Summary: In separate meetings with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Istanbul Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva on August 24, visiting EUR DAS Matthew Bryza strongly reaffirmed USG support for religious freedom and pluralism in Turkey and stressed that the subject will remain front and center in o [...] |
2005-08-31 12:47:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1556 |
HIZB-UT TAHRIR ACTIVE IN ISTANBUL [...] (U) Members of the radical Islamic organization Hizb-ut Tahrir (HT) staged a protest and delivered a press statement after Friday prayers at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul on September 2. Calling for the the reinstatement of the Caliphate, HT's putative leader in Turkey, Yilmaz Celik, reportedly c [...] |
2005-09-09 14:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | KISL PGOV PHUM PINS PTER TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1557 |
TROUBLE IN PARADISE AS EXAGGERATED HARASSMENT [...] (SBU) Summary: Within weeks of Western press reports hailing them as a haven of tolerance and a lingering reflection of Istanbul's historic but much diminished diversity, Istanbul's Princes' Islands have again been in the news in recent days as a result of allegations by a local human rights g [...] |
2005-09-09 14:47:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1577 |
SDIF CHIEF REVIEWS A SUCCESSFUL BUT TURBULENT YEAR [...] (SBU) Summary: In a wide-ranging conversation with visiting Ankara Econ Counselor and Istanbul P/E Chief, the Chairman of Turkey's Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (SDIF), Ahmet Erturk, reviewed his organization's progress in recouping Turkey's losses from the 2001 banking crisis. Noting that th [...] |
2005-09-15 09:07:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN EINV PGOV CASC TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1579 |
INTROSPECTION AND SCUFFLES MARK 50TH ANNIVERSARY [...] (SBU) Summary: In contrast to its indifferent approach to earlier anniversaries, Istanbul marked the 50th anniversary of the infamous 1955 riots that sounded the death knell for its once vibrant Greek Orthodox community with exhibits, panels, and a flurry of media attention. Interest focuse [...] |
2005-09-15 09:46:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREL TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1603 |
BSEC SENIOR OFFICIALS CLEAR U.S. REQUEST FOR [...] (SBU) In separate phone conversations on September 16 and September 20, Black Sea Economic Cooperation Secretary General Tedo Japaridze and First Deputy Secretary General Tugay Ulucevik confirmed to Istanbul P/E Chief that the organization's senior officials had agreed in their September 15 I [...] |
2005-09-20 10:57:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ECIN ETRD TU PREL |
| 05ISTANBUL1619 |
TURKISH TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR: STATISTICS AND [...] (SBU) Summary: Total production in the textile and apparel sectors stands at over USD 30 billion, according to estimates by both industry and government officials. Registered exports for the sector in 2004 totalled 17.6 billion USD, or 28 percent of total Turkish exports. In addition, however [...] |
2005-09-21 15:19:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KTEX ECON ETRD TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1628 |
ISTANBUL VATICAN REPRESENTATIVE SANGUINE ABOUT GOT [...] (C) In the Consul General's September 21 introductory call on Istanbul Apostolic Vicar Monsignor Georges Marovitch, Marovitch indicated that the Vatican is satisfied with the GOT's invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit Turkey in 2006. (Note: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I had invited [...] |
2005-09-22 13:53:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1655 |
ISTANBUL ADMINISTRATIVE COURT BLOCKS "ALTERNATIVE [...] (U) This is an action message, see para 13. 2. (SBU) Summary: In a controversial decision unveiled just hours before the start of the "Alternative Armenian Conference," at which independent-minded speakers planned to challenge Turkish orthodoxy about the massacre of Armenians in 1915, an [...] |
2005-09-23 18:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV PHUM TU AM |
| 05ISTANBUL1680 |
"ALTERNATIVE ARMENIAN CONFERENCE" GOES FORWARD [...] (U) Summary: The "Alternative Armenian Conference" (on Armenians in the late Ottoman Empire) unfolded without incident on September 24 and 25 at a campus of its third organizer, Bilgi University, less than 48 hours after an Istanbul court had attempted to block it. Foreign Minister Gul, who, [...] |
2005-09-27 16:47:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV PHUM TU AM |
| 05ISTANBUL1716 |
PLAYING POLITICS WITH PRIVATIZATION [...] (SBU) Summary: A political and media furore has swirled in recent days around the controversial 49-year lease for Istanbul's Galata port on a prime stretch of waterfront overlooking the old city. Critics point out that the winning bid, announced at USD 4.3 billion, actually has a real present [...] |
2005-10-04 13:58:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1723 |
UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES' ISTANBUL MEETINGS WITH [...] (SBU) Summary: During her 24-hour visit to Istanbul, Under Secretary Hughes met with religious leaders representing a range of confessions and exchanged views on how extremism can most effectively be counteracted. All stressed the need to combat the underlying causes of extremism, including [...] |
2005-10-05 10:37:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL PHUM KPAO TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1729 |
Steering Group for Middle East and North Africa [...] (SBU) Summary: The steering group of the MENA OECD program met on October 3-4 in Istanbul. Key developments included advancing work on a ministerial declaration, discussing individual national reform agendas that would be presented at the ministerial, reviewing funding needs for the program [...] |
2005-10-05 14:03:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EINV TU OECD |
| 05ISTANBUL1734 |
ISTANBUL MEZZES: SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S [...] (U) This is the first in a series of cables offering a sampling of political, economic and human rights topics making news in Istanbul. Green on the Green ------------------ 2. (U) Residents of Istanbul's upscale and secular residential Kadikoy districts are up in arms about a City Cou [...] |
2005-10-06 06:26:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL175 |
MUSLIM OUTREACH - THE INDIRECT APPROACH [...] (SBU) Summary: While remaining steadfast in opposition to U.S. policies on Iraq and the Middle East, Islam-oriented opinion leaders and broader audiences of devout Muslims in Istanbul and the surrounding areas have been receptive to our public outreach on other topics of common interest. Our [...] |
2005-02-02 17:23:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | SCUL KPAO PREL TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1766 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH: OCTOBER 3 PROVIDES NEW [...] (C) Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew told CG October 9 that he was optimistic regarding Education Minister Celik's remarks to Milliyet newspaper last week that he would "open the (Halki) seminary overnight" if it were up to him. Bartholomew acknowledged the Minister's having uttered similar [...] |
2005-10-12 10:52:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1780 |
ARTICLE 301 STRIKES AGAIN: PUBLISHER CONVICTED OF [...] (C) Summary: Citing Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TPC), an Istanbul court October 7 convicted publisher Hrant Dink of "insulting Turkish identity" and issued a six-month suspended sentence. This case, resulting from a 2004 article in Dink's Agos newspaper, was brought by the same [...] |
2005-10-14 15:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1804 |
ARMENIAN CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS DEBRIEF STEVEN [...] (C) Summary: Three organizers of the recent "Alternative Armenian Conference" here (ref A) told former U.S. Congressman and GOT consultant Steven Solarz October 7 that the watershed conference would embolden students to pursue more serious and objective research on the topic. They averred - [...] |
2005-10-18 15:00:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREL TU AM |
| 05ISTANBUL1825 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE: METROPOLITAN DOWNBEAT ON [...] (C) Summary: Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia, a senior advisor at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, expressed his skepticism October 13 to visiting EUR/SE Director Doug Silliman about the GOT's ability and willingness to move the Halki seminary issue forward. Silliman underlined USG support [...] |
2005-10-20 11:47:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1839 |
TURKISH TEXTILE SECTOR RENEWS CALL FOR [...] (SBU) Summary: In meetings with General Scowcroft's visiting American Turkish Council Delegation (ATC), Turkish textile representatives renewed their call for a preferential trade agreement to enable application of lower U.S. customs duties to Turkish textile exports to the U.S. The industry [...] |
2005-10-21 14:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD KTEX TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1844 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH PUBLICLY HIGHLIGHTS CONCERNS [...] (U) Summary: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew raised publicly October 20 his inability to use his ecumenical title in Turkey and the continued lack of dialogue with the Turkish government on such key issues as reopening Halki Seminary. Turkish press gave wide coverage to the remarks, which wer [...] |
2005-10-24 09:40:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1867 |
TURKEY-ARMENIA: TRACK TWO ON TRACK? [...] (C) Summary: Turkish-Armenian "Track Two" efforts continue to chip away at old attitudes. A New Jersey-based Armenian Orthodox Church official was pleased with his reception in Ankara during a recent visit, and plans to organize tours to Turkey with diaspora Armenians next year. "Alternati [...] |
2005-10-27 11:49:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM TU AM |
| 05ISTANBUL1870 |
ISTANBUL BUSINESS BULLISH, BUT SEES INFLATD ASSET [...] (SBU) Summary: In Istanbul meetings October 20,visiting Special Representative for Commercial ad Business Affairs Frank Mermoud found both Turksh and international business executives optimistc about the Turkish economy. They concurred, hoever, that there is something of a bubble in Turish as [...] |
2005-10-27 14:07:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ETRD TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1879 |
ISTANBUL-ERBIL FLIGHTS RECEIVE MFA CLEARANCE [...] (SBU) Business contacts here indicate that plans are moving forward for direct air links between Istanbul and Erbil in Northern Iraq. Longtime CG Istanbul contact Berna Turkili informed us on October 26 that she had received "political approval" for such flights from the Ministry of Foreign A [...] |
2005-10-28 10:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EAIR TU IZ |
| 05ISTANBUL1888 |
ISTANBUL MEZZES: SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S [...] (U) This is the second in a series of cables offering a sampling of political, economic and human rights topics circulating in Istanbul; herewith, a special "Ramazan" edition. Istanbul Iftars --------------- 2. (U) "Iftar," or the traditional breaking of the Ramadan ("Ramazan," in Tur [...] |
2005-10-31 15:19:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1889 |
MOTOROLA DISPUTE SETTLED [...] (SBU) Protracted negotiations between Motorola and the Turkish Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (SDIF) came to a successful conclusion on October 28 with the signing of an agreement by which Motorola renounced its legal claims against both the SDIF and Telsim in exchange for a cash payment of US [...] |
2005-10-31 15:59:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EINV ECPS BEXP TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1916 |
DUBAI OR NOT DUBAI: THAT IS ISTANBUL'S QUESTION [...] (SBU) Summary: Istanbul Municipality and Dubai Holding inked an agreement October 7 heralding Dubai International Properties' (DIP) intent to invest USD 5 billion in Turkey in the coming years. Istanbul will chip in USD 1 billion in property for a 20 percent share of the joint venture. A U [...] |
2005-11-08 16:03:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EINV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1941 |
INVESTMENT CONFERENCE PRAISES TURKEY'S PROGRESS [...] (SBU) Summary: A November 8-9 investment conference organized by Turkey's Foreign Investors' Association (YASED) offered GOT policymakers a chance to highlight progress registered in recent years and to underline their readiness to accept foreign investment, whatever its source. Business part [...] |
2005-11-14 13:34:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EINV ECON EFIN TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1957 |
CDA ADDRESSES ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE/APPEAL OF [...] (U) Summary: he Ecumenical Patriarchate and Rabbi Arthur Schnier's Appeal of Conscience Foundation hosted a cnference in Istanbul November 7-9, bringing togethr religious and other leaders from the Balkans, Cntrl sia nd th Cacasus, as well as Greece' Mnste o Edcaion and Religious Affairs, [...] |
2005-11-15 15:55:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM PREL TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1960 |
ARMENIAN ARCHBISHOP ON KATHOLIKOS VISIT [...] (C) Summary: New York-based Archbishop Khajag Barsamian of the Armenian Church of America told CG November 9 Armenian Katholikos Karekin II of Echmiadzin is considering a visit to Turkey next year, adding that he had received positive reactions from both Turkish diplomats in New York and Ar [...] |
2005-11-16 12:45:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM PINR AM |
| 05ISTANBUL1968 |
DOD A/S FLORY'S BSEC CONSULTATIONS [...] (C) Summary: In an extended November 11 briefing and subsequent private meeting with Ambassador Tedo Japaridze, Secretary General of the Organization for Black Sea Economic SIPDIS Cooperation, visiting DOD Assistant Secretary for International Security Policy Peter Flory explored areas wher [...] |
2005-11-16 15:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ECIN ETRD TU PREL |
| 05ISTANBUL1977 |
ARMENIAN PATRIARCH AT ODDS WITH ECUMENICAL [...] (C) In the course of responding to a routine visa inquiry from the Istanbul-based Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II, CG noted his absence at the November 7 opening session of a conference hosted by the Ecumenical Patriarch and the New York-based Appeal of Conscience (septel). Mesrob's representa [...] |
2005-11-18 08:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL1993 |
BOMB EXPLODES NEAR BUS STOP IN ISTANBUL [...] (SBU) Summary. On Friday, 11/18/05 at approximately 1830 hours a bomb exploded near a bus stop in the Buyukcekmece District of Istanbul. One person was killed and as many as twelve have been reported injured. Two vehicles were reported damaged in the explosion. The police suspect the PKK t [...] |
2005-11-21 15:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | CASC PTER TU TAGS |
| 05ISTANBUL2003 |
SINNED AGAINST OR SINNING? OWNERS OF FAILED [...] (C) Summary: In recent months, a number of owners of failed Turkish banks have begun to speak out to condemn the Turkish government for pursuing a "vendetta" against them-- including for political and even religious reasons-- and to warn that Turkish government actions to seize their assets ar [...] |
2005-11-23 14:31:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EFIN EINV PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2020 |
ISTANBUL WRITERS SPEAK OUT ON FREEDOM OF [...] (SBU) Summary: A "Gathering for Freedom of Expression" November 19-22 in Istanbul brought local writers, authors and activists together to evaluate the state of free speech in Turkey. Though Noam Chomsky's counter-intuitive (and perhaps garbled) statement that Europe has much to learn from [...] |
2005-11-28 16:39:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2053 |
ISTANBUL POLITICS: TAYYIP BEY STILL IN CHARGE? [...] (C) Summary: Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas captured the city's attention last month when he fired Istanbul Deputy Mayor Idris Gulluce, following intense media speculation that Gulluce was the real power behind the throne. The move allowed Topbas to regain "face," but privately contacts have to [...] |
2005-12-06 09:45:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2058 |
ARMENIAN CONFERENCE FALLOUT: PROSECUTORS TARGET [...] (U) Adding to the growing list of publishers and writers being taken to criminal court (ref A), an Istanbul prosecutor filed charges December 2 against five prominent Turkish journalists for their articles criticizing the September 2005 Istanbul court decision that granted an injunction blocki [...] |
2005-12-06 15:44:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2059 |
IRAQI SUNNI ARAB TEAM PRESENTS OLD GRIEVANCES TO [...] (C) Summary: At a December 4 meeting in Istanbul organized by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, a delegation of Iraqi Sunni Arab political figures told Ambassador Khalilzad that the "insurgents" want the political process in Iraq to succeed, but seek more credibility in the process. They demand [...] |
2005-12-06 16:11:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINS IZ |
| 05ISTANBUL2071 |
AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD'S DECEMBER 4 MEETINGS WITH [...] (C) Summary: During a very cordial hour-long lunch sandwiched between U.S. meetings with a team of Iraqi Sunnis -- conducted in Istanbul and orchestrated and observed by the GOT -- Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told visiting U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Khalilzad that Turkey had counseled t [...] |
2005-12-07 14:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV SY IZ TU SYRIA |
| 05ISTANBUL2072 |
EXPORTERS ASSEMBLY CHIEF PUSHES FOR NEW U.S. TRADE [...] (SBU) Summary: Suleyman Orakcioglu, acting President of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) and head of the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters Association (IKTIB) raised eyebrows here this week with his announcement to the press that a new "special trade agreement" is in the works betwee [...] |
2005-12-08 11:19:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ETRD TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2076 |
ISTANBUL ASSEMBLY: CHP MARGINALIZED [...] (C) Summary and Comment: According to CHP's leader in the Istanbul Municipal Assembly, Deputy Mayor of Besiktas Kemal Akar, the Assembly, as an institution, is marginalized in all aspects of city decision-making. Akar complained about the lack of transparency in AK Party real estate develop [...] |
2005-12-08 13:03:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2077 |
PATRIARCH EXPRESSES APPRECIATION FOR DEPARTMENT [...] No summary [...] |
2005-12-08 13:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM PREL TU OSCE |
| 05ISTANBUL2110 |
ISTANBUL'S AK PARTY WOMEN: GETTING (RELATIVELY) [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Istanbul Women's Branch celebrated the 71st anniversary of women's suffrage in Turkey December 5 with a panel discussion focused on expanding the role of women in politics. AKP remains a party in which women do the grassroot [...] |
2005-12-14 08:48:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV TU POLITICAL PARTIES |
| 05ISTANBUL2111 |
BSEC: ROMANIAN CHAIRMANSHIP'S VISION OF [...] (SBU) Summary: Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Executive Manager Stefana Greavu and Project Coordinator Konstantinos Zaimis reviewed possible areas of cooperation with the U.S. in separate meetings with us on December 8. Greavu outlined Romania's priorities for its Chairmanship-in-offic [...] |
2005-12-14 09:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECIN ETRD TU PREL |
| 05ISTANBUL2134 |
PAMUK TRIAL POSTPONED PENDING JUSTICE MINISTRY [...] (SBU) Summary: In an unsurprising move, the judge presiding at the initial hearing in Istanbul,s Sisli District courthouse for Orhan Pamuk,s trial on charges of insulting the Turkish state decided to delay action on the case pending Justice Ministry review of possible "procedural flaws." Th [...] |
2005-12-16 15:50:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2152 |
ISTANBUL JOURNALISTS DEBATE TURKISH POLITICS [...] (C) Summary: The Ambassador exchanged views with senior Turkish journalists n Istanbul on key foreign policy issues, includig Iraq, Iran, Syria, Cyprus, EU accession and doestic developments in Turkey. In this off-the-recrd discussion, debate was most spirited among thejournalists regarding t [...] |
2005-12-22 12:45:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2171 |
AMBASSADOR'S FIRST VISIT TO ISTANBUL [...] (SBU) In his first visit to Istanbul December 18-20, Ambassador met with a range of business, government and other leaders, including Mustafa Koc, head of Turkey's largest holding company, Aydin Dogan, the country's leading media baron, the Turkish-American Business Council (TAIK), the Americ [...] |
2005-12-26 23:29:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON PGOV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2177 |
AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON ECUMENICAL [...] (C) Summary: During a cordial introductory call on December 20, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I outlined for the Ambassador the history of the Greek Orthodox Church in Turkey and underscored three major factors threatening it: the lack of a seminary for the training of priests; the lack of [...] |
2005-12-28 08:20:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM TU AA OSCE |
| 05ISTANBUL218 |
YAPI KREDI DEAL WILL VAULT KOC INTO BIG LEAGUES OF [...] (SBU) Summary: The January 31 deal to purchase Yapi Kredi Bank from the embattled Cukurova Group will vault Koc Financial Services into the front rank of Turkish banking, fulfilling a long-standing goal of the Koc Group. More critically, it will remove a major cloud hanging over the Turkis [...] |
2005-02-11 06:44:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN ECON EINV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL2180 |
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MINORITY PROPERTY ISSUES [...] (SBU) Summary and Comment: "The genius of democracy is in freedom of expression; those without this are hunters and gatherers." Thus Can Paker, Chair of TESEV (Istanbul's preeminent thinktank) opened a December 10 conference on Turkey's Minority Rights Question, underlining Turkish civil s [...] |
2005-12-28 13:27:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV TU PHUM |
| 05ISTANBUL2186 |
ISTANBUL MEZZES: SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S [...] (U) This is the third in a series of cables offering a sampling of political, economic and human rights topics circulating in Istanbul. Vatican II ) Muslim Style? -------------------------- 2. (SBU) We recently attended a Koran reading and sermon at Sehzadebasi Mosque in the Eminonu-Fat [...] |
2005-12-29 14:28:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL267 |
IZMIR VIEWS ON APP CLOSURE, OVACIK MINE RESTART, [...] (SBU) Summary: In meetings in Izmir February 2-4, Izmir liaison officer informed municipal, business and academic officials of the Congressional decision to close the Izmir American Presence Post and the U.S. plan to reopen a consular agency. Regarding U.S. efforts to reopen the Ovacik Gold [...] |
2005-02-17 13:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL TU PHUM EINV |
| 05ISTANBUL329 |
MUNICIPALITY TO FUND ISTANBUL TIP SHELTER, BUT [...] Summary and comment: In recent Istanbul meetings on trafficking in persons (TIP), G/TIP officer Jennifer Donnelly discussed the upcoming TIP report and Turkey's Tier 2 watch list placement with Istanbul prosecutors, municipal and governorate officials and the leading Turkish NGO on TIP issues. [...] |
2005-02-28 14:25:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | TU BO MD PHUM KCRM PGOV KJUS TIP IN TURKEY |
| 05ISTANBUL346 |
SUZER PLAZA CONTROVERSY CONTINUES [...] (SBU) Summary: Istanbul's controversial Suzer Plaza skyscraper, which houses the Ritz Carlton Hotel and was partially financed by OPIC, has returned to the headlines in recent weeks. In early January, two restaurants at the building's base were targeted for partial demolition by city official [...] |
2005-03-02 07:59:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV TU OPIC |
| 05ISTANBUL357 |
INFORMAL ECONOMY TURNS DEADLY AS 10 TURKS SUCCUMB [...] (U) Summary: The problem of counterfeiting in Turkey took a new and deadly turn this week as ten Istanbul residents died from alcohol poisoning after drinking counterfeit raki. Another forty remain hospitalized here, several in critical condition. The homemade brew, some of which was produced [...] |
2005-03-04 07:44:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ETRD EFIN TU |
| 05ISTANBUL377 |
MOSQUE-STATE RELATIONS: ISTANBUL DEBATES ROLE OF [...] (u) Subject: A new report on the relationship among religion, state, and society by TESEV, a prominent establishment Turkish think tank, has stimulated a lively discussion among Istanbul academic and media circles on the role and future of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet). TES [...] |
2005-03-08 13:21:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL KISL TU |
| 05ISTANBUL38 |
ISTANBUL POLICE ON TIP AND MURDER OF BELARUSIAN [...] (SBU) Summary: On December 27, poloff met with Osman Kaplan, Deputy Director of the Foreigners Unit of the Istanbul Police Department, to follow up on trafficking in persons issues raised during the visit of a Moldavan anti-TIP government delegation (ref B) and the murder of a Belarusian woman [...] |
2005-01-11 07:37:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | TU BO MD KCRM PGOV KJUS |
| 05ISTANBUL383 |
ISTANBUL POLICE BRUTALITY DRAWS EU CRITICISM [...] (c) Summary: The use of violence by Istanbul police to break up a demonstration of Turkish women on March 6 prompted widespread international press coverage and criticism from a visiting EU Troika delegation. Our human rights contacts characterized the police response as harsh and unacceptable [...] |
2005-03-08 15:16:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 05ISTANBUL403 |
MARMARA GROUP REFLECTIONS ON PRESIDENT ASSAD AND [...] (SBU) Summary: A delegation of Marmara Group (Strategic and Social Research Foundation, founded in 1985) members visiting Damascus February 20-24 was impressed with President Assad's stated interest in promoting positive relations with Turkey and the U.S., but sensed the Syrian bureaucracy was [...] |
2005-03-14 12:18:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL SY TU |
| 05ISTANBUL412 |
TURKISH LPG TANKER SINKS WITH LITTLE ENVIRONMENTAL [...] (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Ankara. 2. (U) A 138 ton Turkish tanker carrying seven tanks of LPG from Kartal on the Asian side of Istanbul to Zeytinburnu on the European side sank at approximately 22:00 March 12. Five tanks of LPG were retrieved intact with no leakage from th [...] |
2005-03-15 06:06:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EPET ENRG EWWT SENV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL422 |
TURKISH-U.S. BUSINESS COUNCIL PLANS AGRESSIVE PUSH [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkish-U.S. Business Council (TUSBC) leaders outlined an agressive push to expand both their business promotion work and their public relations activities in support of the bilateral relationship in a March 14 breakfast with Consul General. Incoming President Yilmaz Arguden, [...] |
2005-03-17 14:31:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN ECON EINV TU |
| 05ISTANBUL470 |
DELIVERY OF NOTE REQUESTING OBSERVER STATUS TO THE [...] (SBU) Post delivered diplomatic note contained in ref A para 5 to the International Secretariat of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council on Wednesday, March 23. In P/E Chief's meeting later that day with the organization's Secretary General, Ambassador Tedo Japaridze, his three SIPDIS [...] |
2005-03-28 14:08:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECIN ETTC KFPC KTIA TU XG |
| 05ISTANBUL502 |
FORMER TURKISH HOSTAGE ALLEGES MALFEASANCE IN [...] (C) Summary: In an Istanbul meeting with Ambassador Edelman, Turkish businessman Kahraman Sadikoglu, who was held hostage in Basra from December 15, 2004, to February 15, 2005, made serious allegations regarding malfeasance in USAID contracting in Basra in 2003. Sadikoglu, who was working und [...] |
2005-04-01 14:49:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID ECON IZ PTER TU |
| 05ISTANBUL526 |
CORRUPTION: TURKEY'S 800-POUND GORILLA? [...] (SBU) Summary: Public attention has returned to the subject of corruption in Turkey in recent weeks with publication of a country survey by the "Economist" magazine blaming the problem for Turkey's failure to attract more foreign investment. The survey coincided with the publication of Trans [...] |
2005-04-08 05:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KCOR ECON EFIN TU |
| 05ISTANBUL645 |
RUSSIA PUTS HOLD ON U.S. BSEC OBSERVER REQUEST [...] (SBU) Summary: Sources in the Secretariat of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation indicate the Russian Delegation blocked approval of the U.S. application for observer status at last week's Meeting of Senior Officials in Komotini, Greece. While the Russians technically "supporte [...] |
2005-05-02 13:07:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ECIN ETTC KFPC KTIA TU XG |
| 05ISTANBUL691 |
SABAH ARTICLE: "SARIYER, THE MOST [...] SUMMARY: THE U.S. CONSULATE IS SETTING THE TREND IN ISTANBUL. NATIONAL DAILY "SABAH" REPORTS THAT SEVEN CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES ARE SETTING UP THEIR JOINT CONSULATE NEARBY. BELOW IS A TRANSLATION OF THE APRIL 29 ARTICLE. END SUMMARY. 2. "A DIPLOMATIC CENTER IS DEVELOPING IN SARIYER, WHE [...] |
2005-05-06 14:29:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | KPAO OEXC SCUL ABLD AMGT ASEC TU |
| 05ISTANBUL692 |
INVESTMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL PRAISES TURKEY'S [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkey's second annual Investment Advisory Council Meeting on April 29 in Istanbul brought recognition of the economic and political strides Turkey has made over the past year, including most notably macroeconomic stability and a date for beginning of accession negotiations with [...] |
2005-05-06 15:41:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EINV ECON EFIN TU |
| 05ISTANBUL758 |
CLOSURE OF YAPI KREDI DEAL HIGHLIGHTS FOREIGN [...] (SBU) Summary: The announcement on Monday, May 9 that Koc Financial Services and the Cukurova Group had reached final agreement by which Koc and its Italian partner Unicredito will purchase Yapi Kredi Bank vaults Koc into the banking big leagues and removes the largest remaining cloud hangin [...] |
2005-05-13 14:54:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN ECON EINV BEXP TU |
| 05ISTANBUL890 |
REFLEXIVE TURKISH NATIONALISM ENSNARES MASTERCARD [...] (SBU) Summary: After briefly basking in the reflected glow of last week's exciting UEFA Champion's League Final in Istanbul between Milan and Liverpool, corporate sponsor Mastercard has found itself dealing with a public relations nightmare in recent days following public criticism of inclusion in [...] |
2005-06-01 11:51:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV SOCI KISL ASEC TU |
| 05ISTANBUL97 |
YAPI KREDI END GAME NEARS [...] (SBU) Summary: In a move that marked the first official step forward towards realization of its long-rumored desire to buy Yapi Kredi Bank, Unicredito-Koc Holding on January 17 announced that it had signed an agreement with the bank's dominant shareholder, the controversial Cukurova Group, for [...] |
2005-01-21 09:25:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN EINV ECON TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1048 |
TURKEY'S HOLDINGS BRACE FOR A BRAVE NEW WORLD [...] (SBU) Summary: The positive evolution of Turkey's macroeconomic environment over the past four years, together with the prospect of EU accession, has prompted Turkish companies at all levels to redefine their corporate strategies. Whereas previously it was rare for a CEO to look out beyond a o [...] |
2006-06-13 09:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1049 |
TURKEY'S HOLDINGS BRACE FOR A BRAVE NEW WORLD [...] (SBU) Summary: The positive evolution of Turkey's macroeconomic environment over the past four years, together with the prospect of EU accession, has prompted Turkish companies at all levels to redefine their corporate strategies. Whereas previously it was rare for a CEO to look out beyond a o [...] |
2006-06-13 09:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV EFIN TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1098 |
WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE STRIKES, WILL ISTANBUL BE [...] (U) Summary: Istanbul lies near a fault-line and on the seismic path of past earthquakes. The question is not if one will strike, but when. Earthquake preparedness is thus a key issue for private and public sectors alike. Discussions with scientific and business groups show that Istanbul,s [...] |
2006-06-16 15:55:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON |
| 06ISTANBUL1143 |
FROM THE VISA LINE: SUMMER WORK AND TRAVEL ISSUE [...] (SBU) Summary: From the Visa Line is a reporting vehicle encompassing vignettes, anecdotes and observations from Istanbul Consular officers' daily interactions with applicants. In this issue, we focus on the Summer Work and Travel (SWT) program. Istanbul's Consular Section processed more tha [...] |
2006-06-26 13:40:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | CVIS CASC KFRD SOCI PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1201 |
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN COUNTER-TERRORISM [...] (S/NF) Summary: U.S. Chiefs of Mission and others from posts in Amman, Ankara, Athens, Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Nicosia and Tel Aviv joined representatives from S/CT, EUR, NEA, the National Counterterrorism Center, EUCOM, SOCOM, Justice and other agencies at ConGenIstanbul June 16- [...] |
2006-06-30 15:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | SECRET//NOFORN | AMGT ASEC OTRA PTER TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1209 |
PRESCRIPTION FOR TURKEY'S PHARMACEUTICALS MARKET [...] (SBU) Summary. At a June 9 meeting in Istanbul, American pharmaceutical company directors expressed satisfaction that Turkey remained on the 2006 Special 301 Priority Watch List but told Ambassador Wilson that inadequate patent protection and an absence of transparency in the GOT,s health b [...] |
2006-07-03 14:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD EINV PGOV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1227 |
QARADAWI'S THINLY VEILED STATEMENT [...] (C) Summary: Speaking in Istanbul to the "Muslims in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities" conference, renowned Muslim scholar Yousef al-Qaradawi stressed the importance of living together as good neighbors but underscored the obligation of Muslims to adhere to their "holy obligations," no ma [...] |
2006-07-07 14:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | KISL PREL TU ZR |
| 06ISTANBUL124 |
MICROSOFT TARGETS TURKEY [...] (U) Summary: In his third trip to Turkey in a little over a year, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates met in Istanbul with senior Turkish government and business leaders and announced a range of new initiatives aimed at increasing internet penetrationin Turkey. These included a new Turkey web portal [...] |
2006-02-02 10:34:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON ETRD EINV ECPS TU |
| 06ISTANBUL128 |
BSEC REQUEST FOR OBSERVER VIEWS ON COOPERATION [...] (U) This is an action request. Please see para 3. 2. (SBU) Further to the BSEC Secretariat's late December request to observers to forward their views on how they envision cooperating with BSEC and its project development fund in future (copy faxed to EUR/SE), on February 1 BSEC forwarded [...] |
2006-02-02 14:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECIN ETRD PO PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1296 |
JULY 12 PRESIDENT ALIYEV - ENERGY DEPSEC SELL [...] (U) This is a joint ConGn Istanbul-Embassy Baku message. 2. (C) SUMMARY Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told Deput Secretary of Energy Clay Sell on July 12 that Aerbaijan and US goals and strategies with respect o developing Azerbaijani gas for world markets cincide, and Azerbaijan i [...] |
2006-07-18 14:31:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG TU |
| 06ISTANBUL130 |
TURKISH PM ENCOURAGES WOMEN POLS AT ISTANBUL [...] (SBU) Summary: Prime Minister Erdogan pushed forcefully for an increased role for women in public life in Turkey at the January 28 opening of a conference organized within the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. He acknowledged that social mores and traditions have inhibited such participa [...] |
2006-02-02 14:35:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1302 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE - EUR DAS BRYZA JULY 12 [...] (C) Summary: EUR DAS Bryza discussed a potential way to resolve the long-standing Halki issue with the Ecumenical Patriarch during a July 12 meeting. The Patriarch also raised property issues, noting that the Government of Turkey (GOT) had begun selling seized Ecumenical Patriarchate prope [...] |
2006-07-19 07:05:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL PGOV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1313 |
CHECHEN "BIG HERO" MOURNED IN ISTANBUL [...] (C) Summary: Approximately 4,000 mourners congregated at the Fatih mosque in Istanbul on 14 July for an "in-absentia" funeral in honor of Chechen rebel leader, Shamil Basayev. Aside from raucous anti-Russia, anti-U.S. and anti-Israel chanting, the event proceeded in a relatively benign and or [...] |
2006-07-21 11:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER RS TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1341 |
BTC PRE-INAUGURATION MEETINGS IN ISTANBUL [...] (SBU) Summary: Energy Deputy Secretary Sell and senior U.S. officials met with high-level delegations from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Kazakhstan in Istanbul on July 12 to discuss issues related to the Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline on the eve of its inauguration. Deputy Secretary Sell and [...] |
2006-07-26 13:04:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EPET ENRG PREL AJ GG KZ RU TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1358 |
THE AKP AND THE STRUGGLE FOR TURKEY'S FUTURE: [...] (C) Summary: Recent discussions with Istanbul intellectuals interested in the political and social aspects of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) reflect a vigorous ongoing debate regarding the ideology of the AKP and how it could shape Turkey in coming decades. These observers were e [...] |
2006-08-01 12:15:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1387 |
OECD/OSCE CONFERENCE ON INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN [...] Summary: OECD and OSCE jointly sponsored, and the Government of Turkey hosted, a meeting July 11-12 to assess interest of the countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus in an investment and development initiative similar to regional initiatives that OECD has undertaken with USG support in South [...] |
2006-08-08 13:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EINV EFIN TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1445 |
TURKEY AND THE FIGHT AGAINST MUSIC PIRACY [...] (SBU) Summary: In a recent discussion with MUYAP, the primary local anti-music-piracy organization, we explored the nature of music piracy in Turkey and MUYAP's efforts to combat piracy in the country. According to MUYAP, Internet-based pirated music poses a significant problem for Turkey, esp [...] |
2006-08-15 15:46:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD KIPR USTR TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1449 |
MOVIE PIRACY IN TURKEY [...] (SBU) Summary: We recently met with AMPEC, the Motion Picture Association,s subsidiary in Turkey, to discuss movie piracy in Turkey and the state of anti-piracy efforts. AMPEC views current Turkish legislation as sufficient and feels that its training seminars have helped highlight the problem [...] |
2006-08-16 13:16:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD KIPR USTR TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1475 |
COMPETITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN ISTANBUL MUNICIPAL [...] (C) Summary. Turkey,s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) continues to challenge politics as usual through a successful mixture of energetic, grass roots-based politicking and a problem-solving approach to local issues. AKP came to power riding a crest of anger and dissatisfaction at [...] |
2006-08-17 13:18:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1478 |
SUCCESSION ISSUE: PRIORITY AND LIFELINE FOR [...] (C) Summary: Patriarchate senior advisor, Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia, stressed to us during an introductory meeting on August 16 that the priority issue for the Ecumenical Patriarchate was the succession of the Patriarch. He noted that Turkish citizenship requirements for any poten [...] |
2006-08-17 14:22:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1501 |
A BITTER DAY: THE SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1999 [...] (SBU) Summary: On August 17, the seventh anniversary of the deadly 1999 Marmara earthquake, newspapers published articles evaluating ongoing efforts, especially in Istanbul, to prepare for the next big quake. The commentators unanimously criticized insufficient preparations and planning and t [...] |
2006-08-21 10:20:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | EAID CASC TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1504 |
SCENESETTER FOR AUGUST 25-26 VISIT OF CODEL MCCAIN [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Mission Turkey warmly welcomes the visit of Codel McCain to Turkey. Turkey is an ally in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), facilitating the distribution of supplies and fuel to the coalition in Iraq and supporting the NATO Training Mission (NTM-I) there; publicly calling on Ir [...] |
2006-08-22 08:32:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | AFIN AMGT ASEC DA GG IT MW OREP TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1511 |
ISTANBUL'S CHP KADIKOY MAYOR: SAFE, SATISFIED, [...] (SBU) Summary. Republican People,s Party (CHP) mayor of Istanbul's Kadikoy district, Selami Ozturk, represents a wealthy constituency on the Asian side of Istanbul. Political activism is not the byword for this area where secular verities of the Turkish Republic remain more important to vote [...] |
2006-08-23 13:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1528 |
ISTANBUL PROTESTANT CHURCH GRANTED OFFICIAL STATUS [...] (SBU) Summary: The Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation has acquired official status for its church as a "place of worship" after a legal process lasting more than two years. This is the first time that such an application has been approved by the Government of Turkey (GOT) following the cha [...] |
2006-08-24 10:23:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1575 |
FORMULA ONE: CYPRUS INGREDIENT INVITES CONTROVERSY [...] (U) Summary: For the second year in a row, Istanbul played host to Formula One Grand Prix, the world's biggest motorsports organization with a reported fan base of approximately two billion people. Brazil's Felipe Massa edged out Spain's Fernando Alonso and race favorite Michael Schumacher t [...] |
2006-08-31 14:54:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1618 |
OECD/OSCE CONFERENCE ON INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN [...] Summary: OECD and OSCE jointly sponsored, and the Government of Turkey hosted, a meeting July 11-12 to assess interest of the countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus in an investment and development initiative similar to regional initiatives that OECD has undertaken with USG support in South [...] |
2006-09-08 08:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EINV EFIN TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1625 |
TURKISH JEWISH COMMUNITY MEETING WITH PRIME [...] (C) Summary. At their request, PM Erdogan met with Istanbul's Jewish Community in the wake of last month's events in Lebanon and perceived growing animosity towards the community here. While initially skeptical, the PM offered a sympathetic hearing and gave assurances he would take steps to [...] |
2006-09-08 14:38:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1669 |
TURKISH IMAM MURDERED; COMMUNITY ADMINISTERS [...] (U) Summary. An Imam reportedly in line to succeed the current head of the Nakshibendi tarikat (mystical Sufi organization) in Turkey was stabbed to death in his mosque following morning prayers. His attacker was immediately killed by the Imam's fellow worshippers. The incident continues t [...] |
2006-09-14 10:07:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1711 |
PM ERDOGAN ADDRESS TO WESTERN THRACE TURKS [...] (C) Summary: PM Erdogan, speaking to Western Thrace Turk minority members at a conference in Istanbul, urged EU member Greece to respect the rights of his "brothers and sisters" in Western Thrace. He stated publicly that efforts by the Government of Greece (GOG) to resolve problems facing th [...] |
2006-09-21 07:24:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL TU GR |
| 06ISTANBUL1717 |
ELIF SAFAK ACQUITTED WHILE ARTICLE 301 REMAINS ON [...] (C) Summary: The long anticipated trial of Elif Safak began and ended today with a prosecutor reluctantly recommending and a judge agreeing to acquit the renowned author of charges stemming from Turkey's controversial Article 301. Protesters remained out of view with extreme security measure [...] |
2006-09-21 16:23:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL172 |
ARMENIAN CONFERENCE FALLOUT: TRIAL OF FIVE [...] (U) Summary: Nationalist tensions took center stage at the opening hearing of five Turkish journalists charged with insulting and seeking to influence the Turkish judiciary as a result of columns they wrote criticizing the court injunction that temporarily blocked last September's "Alternativ [...] |
2006-02-09 14:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1749 |
FAITH, REASON AND ANOTHER WORLD: TURKISH REACTIONS [...] (SBU) Summary. Though Pope Benedict XVI's speech delivered at the University of Regensburg on September 12 is fading from Turkey's headlines, the response from Turks is universally negative and the speech continues to be a topic of conversation. A popular view regards the speech as a call fo [...] |
2006-09-25 13:02:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1750 |
FAITH, REASON AND ANOTHER WORLD: TURKISH REACTIONS [...] (SBU) Summary. Though Pope Benedict XVI's speech delivered at the University of Regensburg on September 12 is fading from Turkey's headlines, the response from Turks is universally negative and the speech continues to be a topic of conversation. A popular view regards the speech as a call fo [...] |
2006-09-25 13:02:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL180 |
SHADOW BOXING: TURKEY'S UNREGISTERED ECONOMY [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkey's economic success over the last four years has prompted renewed discussion about the need to move on to tackle other deep-rooted structural problems in the Turkish economy. Chief among these issues is Turkey's shadow (or unregistered) economy, which experts estimate rep [...] |
2006-02-10 14:14:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1818 |
TURKEY'S CHIEF RABBI ASSESSES COMMUNITY'S SITUATION [...] (C) Summary. Turkey's Chief Rabbi, Rav Isak Haleva, underlined concerns in the Jewish community over a growing "negativity" in the minds of average Turks toward Jews as demonstrated in the press and daily interchanges between neighbors. Describing Turks as characteristically and traditional [...] |
2006-10-05 07:47:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL184 |
GALATAPORT PRIVATIZATION FOUNDERS [...] (SBU) Summary: The politically troubled privatization of Istanbul's Galataport (ref b) came to an ignominious close in late January as the GOT formally cancelled the tender granting a 49-year lease on the site to a consortium including Israel's Ofer Group. The coup de grace was delivered by [...] |
2006-02-13 12:20:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EINV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1845 |
FORMER ISTANBUL MAYOR GURTUNA PLANS TO RE-ENTER [...] (SBU) Summary. On October 5, we met former Istanbul mayor Ali Mufit Gurtuna at his request to discuss his planned return to political life and founding of an as yet unnamed new political party. Gurtuna, a former member of AKP precursor parties Refah and Fazilet, claimed to know Prime Ministe [...] |
2006-10-06 13:57:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV |
| 06ISTANBUL1846 |
ISTANBUL BANKERS PRAISE AKP ECONOMIC REFORMS [...] (SBU) Summary. We met three Istanbul-based bankers with visiting Turkey desk officer to discuss economic performance, trends and political risk. All three thought that the AKP government had done a good job implementing IMF-backed reforms, but felt that the AKP economic team lacked depth a [...] |
2006-10-10 07:21:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1865 |
LOCAL OFFICIALS, PUBLIC STAY ON MESSAGE IN EDIRNE [...] (SBU) Summary. Local officials, reporters and academics in Edirne sent a clear and consistent message during the Consul General's regional familiarization trip: concern about the PKK threat and U.S. cooperation in combating it is not reserved for Ankara and southeastern Turkey but extends to [...] |
2006-10-11 11:42:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON GR KPAO PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL1910 |
BSEC MINISTERIAL: VIEW FROM ISTANBUL [...] (SBU) Summary: BSEC Secretariat officials and members of key delegations recommend that the USG discuss reftel project on environmental enforcement for economic development in general terms at the November 1 Council of Ministers meeting. Seeking to place discussion of reftel project on the ag [...] |
2006-10-18 06:08:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL SENV KCRM TU RS SR |
| 06ISTANBUL1917 |
CITIGROUP TO PURCHASE STRATEGIC STAKE IN TURKEY'S [...] (SBU) Summary. Citigroup's October 17 announcement that it intends to purchase a 20% share of Turkey's most profitable retail/commercial bank heralds the largest direct foreign investment in Turkey's financial sector. Valued at $3.1 billion, the deal pairs Citigroup with Akbank, Turkey's thi [...] |
2006-10-18 14:11:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN TU |
| 06ISTANBUL192 |
TURKISH ACADEMICS, STUDENTS COMMENT ON MIDDLE EAST [...] (SBU) Summary. Media savvy academics and students involved in democracy building expressed mixed views to a visiting counter-terrorism team about America and its foreign policy in meetings earlier this month. One academic fretted over Turks, generally more negative opinion of the U.S. and [...] |
2006-02-14 06:05:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KPAO TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2013 |
ISTANBUL'S KURDISH INTELLECTUALS: THE TIME IS NOW [...] (S) Summary. Istanbul's Kurdish intellectuals opine the evolving political situation in Turkey and the region sets a favorable stage for agreement to end the Kurdish conflict in Turkey. According to these intellectuals, Turkey's Kurds -- accepted as equals during Turkey's war of independenc [...] |
2006-11-02 13:59:00 | Consulate Istanbul | SECRET | PGOV PHUM PTER TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2015 |
ISTANBUL'S ECUMENICAL RAMAZAN: BOREK, BARDAKOGLU [...] (U) Summary: Turkey's lively diversity and internal contradictions are no more apparent than in Istanbul during the month of Ramazan. While nearly 70% of Turks as a whole are reported to fast during this period, the evenings' numerous iftars are often more social and political than they are s [...] |
2006-11-02 14:05:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2068 |
SWT STUDENTS SHOW THE WRITE STUFF [...] (U) Summary: In preparing for the 2007 Summer Work and Travel (SWT) season, we invited representatives of the educational companies here that recruit and help prepare the students' applications to a kick-off meeting at the Consulate on November 3. To pique interest in the SWT program, Post had [...] |
2006-11-13 15:08:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | SOCI CVIS PREL SCUL KPAO TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2081 |
PRESS ACCREDITATION FOR POPE'S VISIT TO ISTANBUL [...] (SBU) The Turkish press today carried a story accusing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of trying to usurp the government's role by issuing press credentials to reporters covering the Pope's visit later this month. According to the story, members of the press must receive accreditation both from [...] |
2006-11-15 14:23:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PINS PGOV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2084 |
ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS NOT CLASH OF [...] (SBU) Summary. The UN Alliance of Civilizations High-Level Group presented its final report on November 13 in Istanbul to UNSYG Annan as well as the Turkish and Spanish Prime Ministers. The report focuses on political developments, rather than religious or cultural differences, as a primar [...] |
2006-11-16 12:29:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PREL UN TU VT |
| 06ISTANBUL2091 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH DISAPPOINTED BY NEW [...] (C) Summary: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew used his November 15 meeting with visiting representatives from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to raise a number of problems facing the Patriarchate, in particular the challenges associated with being denie [...] |
2006-11-20 11:04:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV TU GR |
| 06ISTANBUL2095 |
STABILITY VS. THE CANCER OF INFORMALITY [...] Summary: On November 6, at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Global Forum on Investment, an OECD Country Roundtable examined Turkey's recent experience with strategies to enhance the investment environment and the dramatic improvement in foreign investment in Tu [...] |
2006-11-20 13:31:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | EINV BEXP ECON ECIN OECD TU |
| 06ISTANBUL210 |
AKP: THE RIFTS WITHIN (A BREATH OF SCANDAL IN THE [...] (C) Summary: Cuneyd Zapsu, independent businessman, senior advisor to PM Erdogan and founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), is no stranger to controversy. This time, however, his wife Beyza made the front pages, photographed praying in an Istanbul mosque Jan [...] |
2006-02-16 11:25:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINR PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2100 |
ISTANBUL CONFERENCE SEES NEW U.S. POLICY TREND IN [...] Summary. A largely academic audience responded positively to visiting scholar Dr. Ian Lesser of the Woodrow Wilson Center and former Foreign Minister Ilter Turkmen's discussion of the "Future of Turkish-American Relations." Lesser and Turkmen inaugurated Sabanci University's Istanbul Policy [...] |
2006-11-21 14:49:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2104 |
FOUNDATIONS, TRANSFORMATIONS AND EU ACCESSION: [...] (SBU) Summary: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) completed its nine-day fact finding mission in Turkey with a generally positive view of religious freedom here. Delegation members clearly recognized the significant challenges facing religious minority co [...] |
2006-11-24 12:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2105 |
URBANCIC AND BASER DISCUSS EFFORTS TO COMBAT PKK [...] (C) Summary. S/CT Deputy Coordinator Urbancic met Gen. (ret) Baser, the GOT's counter-PKK envoy, in Istanbul on November 11. After expressing appreciation for Urbancic's efforts to curb PKK criminal support in Europe, which was the subject of Urbancic's Ankara meetings, Baser took the opport [...] |
2006-11-24 12:57:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PTER EFIN PREL TU IZ |
| 06ISTANBUL2109 |
TESEV STUDY ON RELIGION AND POLITICS [...] Summary. On November 21, TESEV, a leading Turkish NGO, released the results of a recent survey on Islam and Politics. Some of the results were surprising, most notably the indication that the number of women wearing headscarves is declining despite a general belief to the contrary. A major [...] |
2006-11-27 11:34:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV SOCI TU |
| 06ISTANBUL211 |
BMENA: TURKS KEEP DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE DIALOGUE [...] (U) Summary: A February 6-7 conference organized by the Turkish NGO TESEV within the framework of the Democracy Assistance Dialogue (DAD) brought together 150 NGO and government representatives from around the Middle East and North Africa to develop an action platform to increase the role o [...] |
2006-02-17 09:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL TU XD XF XI KDEM KWMN |
| 06ISTANBUL2111 |
SAADET PARTY PROTESTS POPE'S VISIT [...] Summary: On November 26, the Islamist Saadet (Felicity) Party organized a rally in the Sisli district of Istanbul to protest the Pope's upcoming visit to Turkey. Despite claims of hundreds of thousands of attendees on the party's website press estimates on participation varied from 20,000 to [...] |
2006-11-28 06:10:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV ASEC CASC TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2115 |
ISTANBUL POLICE CLOSE PATRIARCHATE PRESS CENTER [...] (SBU) Summary: On November 27, Istanbul police briefly shut down a press center organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate at a local hotel. Press arrangements for the Papal visit to the Patriarchate had been the subject of some dispute earlier in November (reftel) but both Patriarchate staff [...] |
2006-11-28 12:43:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2141 |
HALKI SEMINARY READY FOR BUSINESS [...] (SBU) Summary: We visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Halki Seminary with a delegation of Greek Orthodox American citizens during their annual Feast of St. Andrew pilgrimage to Istanbul, coinciding this year with Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Turkey. The seminary is the subject of a long-stan [...] |
2006-12-08 09:17:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2144 |
ISTANBUL BUSINESS COMMUNITY DISCUSSES IRAQ WITH [...] (SBU) Summary. On November 28, CODEL Shays met members of the Istanbul business community to discuss their views on Iraq's future and U.S. - Turkey relations. The business community sees both risks and opportunities in Iraq, but companies with on-going Iraq operations see potential profit op [...] |
2006-12-08 14:29:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ENIV ENRG OREP PREL PTER TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2145 |
POLICE RAID LEFTISTS IN TEN ISTANBUL NEIGHBORHOODS [...] (SBU) On the afternoon and evening of December 7, Turkish National Police (TNP) counter-terrorism (CT) units raided 10 addresses in Istanbul's Gazi, Kucukcekmece, Gultepe, Okmeydani, Umraniye, Kartal, Sultanbeyli and Kucuk Armutlu neighborhoods, arresting 20 suspects following a six month in [...] |
2006-12-08 16:07:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PTER PGOV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2146 |
FOREIGN MINISTER DRASKOVIC LAUNCHES SERBIAN BSEC [...] (SBU) Summary: On November 29, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic formally launched the six-month Serbian BSEC Chairmanship with a speech to BSEC representatives, observers and related bodies. FM Draskovic's remarks were followed by brief comments by the BSEC Secretary-General and a short [...] |
2006-12-11 07:22:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL SENV KCRM EU TU SR |
| 06ISTANBUL2149 |
ISTANBUL'S TESEV TOUCHES ANOTHER TABOO [...] (C) Summary. TESEV, the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, convened an international academic conference that discussed internal displacement, with a particular focus on the plight of Turkey's Kurdish population. Discussion of social issues and Kurdish identity would have been [...] |
2006-12-11 11:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2150 |
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE ON THE POPE'S VISIT AND [...] (C) Summary: Ecumenical Patriarchate senior advisor Metropolitan Meliton shared with us his deep satisfaction over the success of Pope Benedict XVI's recent visit to Turkey but predicted improved Muslim-Christian relations would not influence the Government of Turkey (GOT) to resolve issues [...] |
2006-12-11 12:49:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2154 |
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF YOUNG POLITICAL LEADERS ENGAGES WITH [...] Begin Summary: A visiting American Council of Young Political Leaders (AYCPL) delegation engaged over dinner December 4 at the Consul General's Residence with a group of Turkish political party leaders, academics, business executives, and senior press columnists and editors. The lively excha [...] |
2006-12-12 09:13:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV KPAO OEXC SCUL PREL CVIS TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2169 |
MUSTAFA SARIGUL: ISTANBUL'S ENTERPRISING SISLI [...] (C) Summary. Sisli Mayor Mustafa Sarigul, one of a handful of Republican People's Party (CHP) mayors in all of Turkey, confidently predicts that AKP will dominate the next election, CHP leader Baykal thereafter will be ousted as party leader, and he, Sarigul, will then emerge to contest and [...] |
2006-12-19 14:00:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL2174 |
CHP - DRIVE TO PREVENT ERDOGAN PRESIDENCY [...] (C) Summary. People's Republican Party (CHP) Istanbul Chairman Sinasi Oktem told us December 20 that Prime Minister Erdogan could not "in good conscience" take the prescribed presidential oath of office and vowed CHP would do everything possible to prevent that from happening -- unless "you (i [...] |
2006-12-22 07:25:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL223 |
DANGER IN BOSPHORUS [...] (U) A major catastrophe in Istanbul's narrow Bosphorus Straits was narrowly averted on February 21 when a Liberian- flagged tanker carrying 86,000 tons of kerosene lost steerage way and nearly ran aground at Istanbul's historic Dolmabahce Palace. The out-of-control ship came to a stop some 20 [...] |
2006-02-22 13:17:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | EPET ENRG EWWT TU |
| 06ISTANBUL369 |
ISTANBUL JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AWAIT LEGAL STATUS [...] (SBU) Summary: Jehovah's Witnesses continue to face obstacles from the Turkish bureaucracy in their efforts to form a legal association. Their members also face short prison terms for refusing to carry arms as part of their mandatory military service, due to their status as conscientious ob [...] |
2006-03-14 15:24:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL372 |
ISTANBUL CONFERENCE TACKLES TURKEY'S "KURDISH [...] (C) Summary. A March 11-12 Istanbul conference on "Turkey's Kurdish Problem" brought together a range of leading figures from Turkey's Kurdish community with the ambitious goal of hammering out an alternative to the leadership of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Organizers argued that [...] |
2006-03-15 05:40:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM TU |
| 06ISTANBUL392 |
NEW TURKISH WITHHOLDING TAX ROILS BROKERS AND [...] (SBU) Summary: Turkey's new 15 percent withholding tax on capital gains and interest from government securities has had little of the market impact that market players predicted last year. A number of analysts profess surprise at how limited the impact has been, with some noting that the Trea [...] |
2006-03-16 12:54:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN TU |
| 06ISTANBUL393 |
TUZMEN OUTLINES GOT'S STRATEGY TO BOOST BILATERAL [...] (SBU) Summary: Foreign Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen outlined the GOT's strategy to increase bilateral trade with the United States in a luncheon address to the Turkish-American Business Council (TAIK) on March 10. Coopting the Foreign Ministry's "Year of the Americas"-- which some TAIK contact [...] |
2006-03-16 13:12:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ETRD TU |
| 06ISTANBUL419 |
ISTANBUL'S AKP AND CHP - A STUDY IN CONTRASTS [...] (C) Summary: Recent calls on their Istanbul political party headquarters highlighted stark contrasts between Turkey's pedigreed social-democratic Republican People's Party (CHP) and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The AKP's brightly decorated, modular headquarters hummed wi [...] |
2006-03-21 15:09:00 | Consulate Istanbul | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL TU |
| 06ISTANBUL422 |
FROM THE VISA LINE, ISSUE ONE [...] (SBU) Summary: From the Visa Line is a new reporting vehicle encompassing vignettes, anecdotes and observations from Amconsulate Istanbul Consular officers' daily interactions with Turkish--and sometime non-Turkish--visa applicants. Taken together, they offer a unique perspective on local s [...] |
2006-03-22 13:45:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | CVIS CASC SOCI PREL IR TU |
| 06ISTANBUL444 |
BSEC SENIOR OFFICIALS MEETING HIGHLIGHTS [...] (SBU) Summary: The Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization's meeting of Senior Officials at the end of February highlighted both the organization's strengths and weaknesses. The organization is a rare forum grouping not just all the sea's littoral states, but also other countries such as [...] |
2006-03-27 09:20:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECIN ETTC KFPC KTIA TU XG |
| 06ISTANBUL449 |
GLOBAL FDI MOVEMENTS: MYTHS AND FACTS IN TURKEY [...] (U) Summary: Speakers at a March 24 conference on foreign investment in Turkey evinced optimism about Turkey's overall economic progress but agreed the country needs to develop a strategy to attract significant FDI. Noting that the country lags especially in the area of "green field" investme [...] |
2006-03-28 09:12:00 | Consulate Istanbul | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EINV TU |
| 06ISTANBUL476 |
BUSINESS CRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT INTENSIFIES [...] (U) Summary: Business criticism of recent Turkish Government missteps on the economy has intensified in recent days, as business leaders have grown increasingly concerned about the potential impact of p |