The economic storm in Turkey has not subsided yet.

The exchange rate of the Turkish lira against foreign currencies once again depreciated despite the relative improvement in recent weeks.

The official announcement of an inflation rate of 36 percent in Turkey (unprecedented in the past 19 years) raised concerns about the future of the Turkish economy.

But what does the future hold for the Turkish economy?

At the time of writing, one US dollar equals 13.5 Turkish liras, and there is a huge conflict of opinion among economic analysts regarding the future exchange rate of the Turkish lira.

But how long will this process last, and what will be the consequences for foreigners who either own the lira, own real estate in Turkey, or have business relations with Turkey?

Where did the story begin?

For many, the question may be: Why is the Turkish lira in this situation?

The story is relatively simple from an economic point of view, and of course there are political reasons involved. In short, the Turkish economy has witnessed steady growth over the past two decades with the massive influx of foreign exchange, and in fact, the country’s economic growth has depended on the infusion of foreign currency.

Most of this currency comes from the export of textile products and the export of auto parts, and of course, the Turkish tourism industry is one of the main sources of foreign exchange entering the country.

With the Coronavirus epidemic, the Turkish tourism industry almost collapsed, and the other two sectors (textiles and automobiles) are importing raw materials that naturally require foreign currencies.

In simple terms, Turkey needs to import raw materials with foreign currency to produce.

On the other hand, the volume of Turkey’s imports is very high (from oil and gas imports to luxury goods).

Meanwhile, the lowering of the “interest rate” by the Turkish government was the main reason for the current situation.

The Turkish government believes that Turkish exports can be increased by lowering interest rates.

Low interest rates actually reduce the cost of financing, and when the cost of financing decreases, so does the value of the national currency.

On the other hand, the willingness of depositors to keep money in the bank also decreases. The result of all this will eventually be a further depreciation of the lira and an increase in inflation.

Certainly, the political side of the problem cannot be ignored.

Turkey has been close to Russia for several years, while the United States and Europe expect Turkey, as a NATO member, to keep its distance from Russia.

Turkey’s expansion in the Mediterranean, in relation to Greece and Cyprus, has also led to sanctions on the Turkish economy, which in turn has restricted Turkey’s access to foreign exchange.

Has Erdogan’s counterattack succeeded?

Just a few weeks ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled a plan that would allow Turkish citizens to secure government support in maintaining the value of their banking assets by converting their dollar holdings in banks into assets based on Turkish lira.

Accordingly, if depositors are willing to keep their lira deposits in banks, the Turkish government will ensure that compensation is paid to the depositor in the event the lira depreciates against the dollar.

And certainly, the move boosted the value of the Turkish lira, which fell sharply against foreign currencies (to a record low of about 18.4 Turkish liras per dollar). But this was not the end of the devaluation of the Turkish lira.

Critics said the Turkish government’s new plan contradicts its previous plan.

In the first plan, the government lowered interest rates, but now, with the promise of reparations, it has actually raised interest rates and made new commitments to itself that it is unclear whether it will be able to meet.

Buying or selling Turkish Lira?

Due to the volatility of the market, both Turkish lira and Dollar traders have lost a lot of money so far. 

The truth is that the long-term outlook for the Turkish economy has great conflict of opinion.

In addition to the uncertainty in the current situation and Russian political turmoil that may extend to the political arena in Turkey next year.

The optimism of foreigners in Turkey about the Turkish economy is relying on the past two decades.

Before that, Turkey’s economy was very weak with high inflation rates, and the country’s political stability was constantly exposed due to several military coups in the past decades.

Part of the optimism about the Turkish economy is due to the possibility of Turkey joining the European Union, which could change a lot in the future.

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The post Turkish lira exchange rate: an uncertain future in light of the economic reality appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

A new US diplomatic decision on Afghanistan shocked Turkish officials.

According to local news agencies, Erdogan’s desire to maintain his military presence in Afghanistan and take over security at Kabul airport seems to have heavy costs and consequences.

And every day a different angle emerges from the dangers of this decision.

Instead of granting asylum to Afghan nationals linked to the Pentagon, the United States intends to send them to Turkey and place them in Ankara again.

Interestingly, Washington made such a decision without consulting the Erdogan government.

The number of these people is approaching 60,000, and Turkey, which already has more than 4 million refugees and asylum seekers within its borders, is unable to accept new people.

At first, Turkey believed that with the withdrawal of the United States and all NATO forces from Afghanistan, an atmosphere would be created in which a new political and economic space could fall into the hands of Turkey.

But in the first steps, the fact becomes clear that staying in Afghanistan entails serious risks and costs for Turkey, and the new decision of the Biden administration clearly shows the American viewpoint.

Reasons for America’s strange decision

During the years when the Afghan people were in a difficult situation due to the presence of US and NATO forces, thousands of Afghan citizens, worked for the Pentagon and the CIA in different parts of their country, as translators, guides, couriers, drivers, security guards, informants and various types of services and other jobs.

Difficult economic conditions, lack of work, and large wages in dollars were among the most important motivations for those who worked with the United States during these years in Afghanistan.

But now that the Americans are gone, most of their local Afghan allies have fallen into the hands of the Taliban and they will naturally expect a severe confrontation.

As a result, on the eve of their departure, the United States promised asylum to most of the local residents and told them that they would be deported with their families and that they would obtain citizenship on American soil.

But calculating and utilitarian Americans gradually came to the conclusion that such a move would create new economic costs and security and social consequences for the United States, and that granting citizenship to thousands of Afghan families would not be a cost-effective option.

So it is better to send them to another country. where? Turkey seems to be the best possible place.

Erdogan has demonstrated a desire to be in Afghanistan, and in recent weeks several AKP officials have repeatedly accused opposition leaders of “xenophobia” and “anti-immigration” in response to their remarks.

Repeated warnings about Afghan refugees are issued by people who say they lack religious and humanitarian sentiments.

Ankara’s sharp reaction

The response of the Turkish diplomatic apparatus to the United States showed that there is no dynamic and continuous relationship of dialogue and interaction between Ankara and Washington, and that issues cannot be resolved behind the scenes of hidden diplomacy.

In response to the US diplomatic decision, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said:

“What the United States said about the Afghan refugee program is an example of an irresponsible decision, and we, as Turkey, made a decision.”

“Without consulting us, we do not accept. If the United States wants to bring these people home, it can fly them directly to the United States.”

“Our country will in no way assume the international role and responsibilities of a third country and will not allow our laws to be misused by third countries for their own purposes,” Bilgic said.

“No one should expect the Turkish people to bear the burden of the migration crises caused by the decisions of third countries,” he added.

A spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the US decision will create a major migration crisis in the region and increase the suffering of Afghans on their migration routes.

Therefore, from Ankara’s point of view, it is unacceptable that the United States, instead of finding a solution on its own, is trying to find a solution in the countries of the region.

Devlet Bahceli’s role

Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the National Movement Party, is in fact the leader of the most extreme right-wing nationalist wing in Turkey, which in recent years, in partnership with the ruling party, has controlled part of the power of the Republican Alliance.

“Bringing asylum seekers and refugees to Turkey is a new form of domination and occupation, and we must be vigilant,” Bahceli said frankly a few days ago.

Bahceli’s statements did not get enough attention in the Turkish media.

But now, after the announcement of the US State Department’s decision, one might consider the possibility of preliminary talks between the US and Turkey, But the Ankara authorities responded in the negative and ignored the issue. 

Negative messages for the US decision towards Turkey

The US State Department has announced that Turkey is a country that can host Afghans linked to the Pentagon. Washington’s decision contains two important messages:

1- While in Afghanistan, the Americans caused great suffering to the Afghan people, in addition to killing dozens of civilians in drone strikes.

Thousands of local troops were trained in translation and assistance, but once they achieved their goals, they demonstrated that the lives and safety of these individuals and their families were of great importance to the United States.

This issue is so unimportant to Washington that even the title “Ensuring the lives and security of Afghans who have a history of cooperation with the United States” was not brought up in the Doha talks between the United States and the Taliban.

2- The United States did not consult with Turkish officials to make this strange decision, and allowed itself to take a coercive and intrusive approach to decide not only the fate of thousands of Afghan citizens, but also Turkey.

Finally, it should be noted that the analysis of US decisions, actions, and approaches in recent months in Turkey shows the fact that the Biden administration does not have friendly positions in Turkey.

The post Washington’s selfish and dangerous decision towards Turkey appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

According to local news agencies, the increase in the number of coronavirus patients in Turkey and the refusal of some Turkish citizens to receive the vaccine is an important issue that worries health officials in Ankara.

Because the number of patients in a 24-hour period is a promising number of less than 5,000 people, it has risen again to more than 20,000 people.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca released the latest statistics on the outbreak of the Coronavirus:

• The number of tests in the last 24 hours: 257 thousand tests.
• Number of patients in the last 24 hours: 22,083.
• The number of deaths: 69 people.
• Total number of deaths: 50,450.
• The total number of patients from the beginning until today: 5 million and 515 thousand people.

One of the most important issues in the fight against the Coronavirus in Turkey is the issue of vaccination.

Turkish health officials have openly stated that some citizens are reluctant to get vaccinated, and this is the preoccupation of doctors and scientific staff to fight the virus.

The latest information on the corona vaccination is as follows:

• Total vaccines injected in Turkey from the beginning until today: 73 million doses.
• Citizens who received the first and second doses: 43% of the total population.

Risk of not receiving the vaccine

Many Internet users are sensitive to people who are not vaccinated and write about them.

Several famous Turkish journalists have suggested in their tweets and on YouTube that all public places, even vehicles, buses, planes and cinemas, should be managed in such a way as to provide vaccination services to citizens.

“Unfortunately, the large number of new cases is gradually approaching an unstoppable level,” said Dr. Mehmet Kaskin, a doctor in Istanbul.

Last year, we had almost no weapons and shields, and only through quarantines and public closures were we able to control the outbreak.

But we now have powerful, reliable vaccines that provide at least 90% immunity.

But it is still not enough. Why ? For two reasons.

First, the ideal figure for mass vaccination in the community is seventy percent, but unfortunately, despite all efforts, we just got to 43 percent.

Second, people who are not vaccinated are actually endangering those who have been vaccinated and wasting our efforts.

Two important concerns: the economy and education

Turkish market and economic activists believe that the private sector in the country’s economy does not tolerate new stagnation and losses, and that if tourism revenues and market dynamics in Turkey return to normal as soon as possible, Turkey will face inflation, unemployment and even greater problems.

As a result, success in large-scale vaccinations is an important condition for success in tourism and the market.

Many Turkish educational and cultural analysts also believe that distance education has never met the intellectual, educational and sports needs of children as much as face-to-face education, and that serious measures must be taken to reopen schools.

Turkey’s Minister of National Education Ziya Selcuk announced that in all of the country’s 81 provinces, schools will reopen for all grades on September 6.

He announced that the necessary measures and funds had been taken to purify and prepare schools, and the proposed group was submitted to the National Command to Combat Coronavirus to decide on the school program based on the results of vaccination operations.

Finally, it should be noted that although the Turkish Ministry of Health provided a defensive record during the fight against Coronavirus and acted relatively quickly in the purchase and import of the vaccine.

However, the evidence shows that cultural and social issues are an integral part of issues related to social policy and citizens’ health.

As a result, if there is no widespread social contact between scientists, health care providers, and ordinary people, no major measures will be taken.

Even if a group of 10 to 15 percent of the population is reluctant to vaccinate, entire vaccination processes are at risk of failure.

The post Fears of a resurgence of the Coronavirus in Turkey – what are the solutions? appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

The latest UN census statistics show that Turkey is the 19th most populous country in the world.

According to the United Nations, Turkey ranks 19th with 83,384,680 people.

While Germany came in 18th place with 83 million and 783 thousand and 954 people.

Statistics show that the pace of population growth in Turkey has slowed down and that factors such as the rising age of marriage and consequently the increasing age of childbearing. Along with some demographic differences in different provinces and regions in Turkey, contain information that worries the Turkish government.

The latest official data issued by the Turkish National Statistical Center shows that the economic situation in the past few years and the emergence of major problems such as unprecedented inflation and unemployment, negatively affected population growth and a large percentage of young Turks do not marry.

As a member of NATO, Turkey has the most populous of the members of this military alliance’s armed forces.

It is also natural that the pace of population growth, in addition to its importance in the economic and agricultural fields, is of great importance in the field of defense.

Concern about the ethnic and regional dimensions of population growth

One important demographic parameter is the fertility rate.

The figure given as TFR actually refers to the average number of births for a woman in the ideal birth age range, i.e. between the ages of 15 and 49.

The total fertility rate was 2.38 in 2001 and 1.76 in 2020.

In 2019, the number of live births in Turkey was 1,186,560.

But in 2020, it reached 1,112,859 children.

Among the 81 provinces in Turkey, the top ten ranks are the Kurdish provinces.

In terms of the province’s index, the Kurdish province of Şanlıurfa had the highest fertility rate of 3.71 children in 2020.

And the second province is the Kurdish province of Şırnakh, with a rate of 3.22 children.

And the other two Kurdish provinces, Sirat and Agri, ranked third and fourth.

The provinces from the fifth to the tenth of the list are among the other six Kurdish provinces, which are: Muş, Mardin, Batlis, Van, Batman and Diyarbakir.

The average fertility rate is high in the Kurdish provinces, while the Turkish provinces are in a different situation.

The fertility rate was 1.29 in Karabuk and 1.31 in Zonguldak and Kütahya.

The above graph shows that the average fertility rate in Turkey is 1.76, but in 10 Kurdish provinces it is twice the national average.

In the past few years, we have seen an increasing strengthening of the Turkish nationalist discourse in Turkey due to the formation of the Republican Alliance, the alliance of the Justice and Development Party and the Conservative Democratic Development Party, with Turkey’s right wing, the National Movement Party.

As a result, the Erdogan-Bahçeli alliance cannot ignore the statistical fact that the population growth rate in the Kurdish provinces is much higher than in the Turkish provinces.

Increasing the average lifespan of a woman in her first marriage

The average age of first marriage for a woman, which was 24.4 years in 2015, was 25.1 years in 2020.

According to marriage records, the official marriage rate for girls in the 16-17 age group was 7.8% of all official marriages in 2010, but fell to 2.7% in 2020.

Of course, civil society organizations and groups active in preventing child and adolescent marriage are satisfied with this situation.

It is also important to note that, in general, the average age of marriage for girls and boys among conservative families is lower than in Kemalist, liberal, and pro-Western families.

High rise, unemployment and immigration

Critics and opponents of Erdogan’s government believe that the National Statistical Office does not provide clear information on unemployment for fear of the presidency.

The evidence for this allegation is the dismissal of the two Vice-Presidents of the National Center for Statistics, who, in the eyes of the government, published ambiguous information.

Therefore, there were many accounts about the announcement of clear and accurate statistics on unemployment in Turkey.

Knowing the true dimensions of unemployment statistics is directly related to the motives for marriage and demographic change.

Thus the importance of this factor cannot be ignored.

But in any case, the real and clear picture of political, economic and social developments in Turkey is that the wave of migration of young people from Turkey to European countries has intensified and one of the main reasons is the lack of hope for job opportunities and employment.

As a result, a large part of Turkey’s young elite, especially those who graduated from major Turkish high schools, go to Europe for university studies, while graduates of the best Turkish universities often look for a way to stay in other countries.

Finally, in Turkey, as in other countries of the world, there is a direct relationship between livelihoods, the economic situation and the social and political conditions of the country.

In recent years, the Turkish economy has been plagued by a major crisis that must be eliminated if the current demographic challenges are to be faced.

The post Turkey fears slowing population growth – demographic and economic challenges appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

The Turkish army chief, during a visit to Islamabad, signed an agreement with his Pakistani counterpart, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, to increase the level of military cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan.

The media in Ankara did not mention the exact dimensions of the agreement,

But it seems that the only predictable part of the agreement is holding joint military training and coordinating military exercises.

Pakistani President Arif Alvi also handed the Medal of Honor from the Pakistani government to Major General Umit Dundar, commander of the Turkish army.

According to the Pakistani President, the award was given in recognition of General Dundar’s commendable service in strengthening Pakistan-Turkey relations.

Over the past few years, the Turkish government has paid special attention to developing relations with Pakistan.

Conducting a joint military exercise, an arms deal with Islamabad, and a memorandum of understanding to enhance military cooperation are part of the new dimensions of developing Turkish-Pakistani relations.

A joint military exercise between Turkey and Pakistan

Turkish efforts prompted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to support the Republic of Azerbaijan during the recent Karabakh War and to increase cooperation between the Ankara-Baku-Islamabad Triangle through Baku support.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov recently announced that the special forces of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan will hold joint military exercises in September hosted by Baku.

Of course, Pakistan has already participated in a joint naval exercise off the coast of Cyprus at Turkey’s request.

Islamabad is a de facto supporter of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, and Turkish Cypriots can only travel to Turkey and Pakistan with their passports.

Selling Turkish Helicopters to Pakistan

In 2018, Turkey signed an agreement with Pakistan under which 30 ATAK military helicopters were sold to Pakistan.

But the American handbrake prevented the deal. Because the Pentagon announced that the Turkish helicopter engine was produced with an American license and was not allowed to be exported.

The Turkish defense industry also announced that it has been working on a domestic project to produce helicopter engines for the past two years and that this problem will be resolved soon.

US defense analysts say the Pentagon’s decision has nothing to do with the issue of engine licenses, and that these US actions against Ankara are related to the purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia.

The other dimension is the US approach to Pakistan.

The Americans made no excuse to export Turkish helicopters to the Philippines, but in the case of Pakistan, they raised the issue of CAATSA and engine licensing.

Since the cessation of US military support to Pakistan, Turkey has sought to sell more arms to Islamabad.

Selling four frigates, 30 helicopters, dozens of personnel carriers and military equipment, wiretapping and security equipment needed by border regiments and demining.

Pakistan ranks 11th in the world in the list of countries importing arms, defense and military supplies.

According to SIPRI reports, between 2014 and 2019, an average of 76% of Pakistan’s military imports came from China.

As a result, Turkey must overcome the barrier of a competitor who is quietly and unequivocally one of the largest exporters of the defense industry.

Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan

In recent years, relations between Ankara and Islamabad have grown.

But now Turkey appears to be more enthusiastic about developing relations.

Because Turkey’s decision to continue its military presence in Afghanistan is directly linked to Pakistan’s close and distant allies.

At the recent NATO summit in Brussels, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he needs the support of Pakistan and Hungary to stay in Afghanistan.

But political analysts say such a thing is impossible.

Former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin, who has been working at NATO headquarters in Afghanistan for many years and has a thorough understanding of the country’s political and security equations, comments on Erdogan’s proposal:

“I very much hope that this proposal is just a mistake. The news and interpretation are wrong. Most of the hardline Taliban leaders are already in Pakistan.

It seems fundamentally impossible that the issue of participation in airport operations with Pakistan will be accepted by the civilian government of Afghanistan.

Because most Afghans believe that their government has been fighting the Pakistani Taliban for years.

Pakistan’s political support is very important and should be for peace and stability in the region.

However, efforts to establish an airport are wrong and it is unlikely that this proposal will be accepted in Afghanistan.”

The statements of the former Turkish minister seem correct, and a large number of Afghan political and military leaders do not look positively at Pakistan.

But the ongoing cooperation between the Turkish intelligence service and the Pakistani intelligence service will help Turkey get a better position in Afghanistan.

While facilitating the Taliban movement, mediated and led by Pakistan.

Of course, it is important to note that despite all the efforts made by Erdogan and Imran Khan and the constant meetings between Qureshi and Çavuşoğlu, the relationship between Turkey and Pakistan has not developed in all areas.

For example, Turkey-Pakistan trade volume over the past few years has always been between $600 million and $800 million.

Reaching $1 billion for the first time in 2020.

Considering Pakistan’s 220 million population and market capacity. That is not a significant figure.

Turkey hopes to boost its trade relations with Pakistan by linking railway networks with Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But evidence shows that developing defense and security ties is currently more important for both countries.

The post The development of military relations between Turkey and Pakistan, obstacles and challenges appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Despite all the opposition, the Canal Istanbul project began, and the Turkish government promised to pay its construction costs through fees and other revenues in full during the first 12 years of the construction.

According to local news agencies, the establishment of Canal Istanbul as a new crossing between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean & Marmara has become a vital issue and one of the Erdogan government’s major projects.

Ankara has not yet commented on the financing of the project, but the government is said to have entered into negotiations with several foreign investment groups.

Some of Erdogan’s opposition parties are concerned about the rentier aspects of the project, while others are drawing the government’s attention to the urgent needs of this massive project.

“We tell the government in clear and unambiguous language that the country does not currently need highways, tunnels, huge construction projects, airports and the like,” said Temel Karamollaoglu, leader of the Felicity Party.

“What should be the government’s top priority is to take care of the people’s living conditions, fight poverty and solve the problems of millions of young people in this country, most of whom are graduates and skilled, but they do not have jobs.”

Getting the money back in 12 year

Erdogan’s critics and political opponents believe that a combination of environmental and legal ramifications of the Montreux Convention makes Canal Istanbul a serious challenge.

Read More: Erdogan: The Istanbul Canal project has nothing to do with the Montreux Agreement

In addition, it creates thousands of huge rental opportunities that generate billions of dollars in profits. that will be the income for a particular group affiliated with the ruling party.

But despite all the opposition, the Istanbul Canal project began, and the Turkish government promised to pay for the construction of the canal from transit fees and other revenues during the first 12 years.

The Istanbul Canal is 45 km long and 20 meters deep, 78% of which is a natural waterway and the remaining 22% will require excavation work.

The Turkish Ministry of Transport and Communications announced that it has consulted with 200 scientists and experts in the field of water and environment and received their positive comments.

From Suez to Istanbul

Trade and shipping have become more important to Turkey, and it is important for the country’s governments to own a canal the size of the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal.

The Suez Canal generates huge revenues for Egypt, and Turkey intends to achieve these revenues.

Interestingly, Turkey’s goal in constructing the new Istanbul Canal is that Erdogan’s government is not only inspired by the geographical and economic location of the Egyptian Suez Canal, but also intends to use the advice of the Suez Development Company to build the canal.

Why is Suez important to Turkey?

Arab Egypt has always been an important land for Islamic governments, and was in the hands of the Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid caliphs until 1517, and when the Ottoman Empire came to power.

In 1798, Napoleon invaded Egypt and in 1805, Muhammad Ali Pasha ruled in the name of the Ottoman government.

References to court correspondence and memoranda of Ottoman ambassadors and politicians at the time, indicate that Egypt had always been of great importance to the Ottoman court.

And later the Suez Canal became very important to the Ottoman court and Turkish merchants.

The Suez Canal is not a natural geographical phenomenon, but a man-made waterway of 198 km length that extends from the Egyptian port of Said in the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Suez on the northern shores of the Gulf of Suez.

This canal separates most of Egypt from the Sinai Peninsula.

It took 10 years to build this waterway and its official opening date was November 17, 1869.

This channel connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The Suez Canal is an acronym for ships and boats that pass through European and American ports to the ports of Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Oceania. Which leads to a great shortcut.

The Suez Canal is currently the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

It is estimated that about 7% of all sea trade in the world takes place through this water channel.

Thus, revenue from fees is one of Egypt’s main sources of foreign exchange earnings, as the Egyptian government receives the largest amount of money from it after the three pyramids.

Between 18,000 and 20,000 ships pass through the Suez canal annually, and the Egyptian government receives nearly $7 billion for transiting these ships.

Is Suez comparable to Istanbul?

There are very serious and important differences between the Suez Canal and the Istanbul Canal.

The Suez Canal is a vital junction between Asia and Europe stretching from the vast Mediterranean to the Red Sea and Oceania.

But the location of the Istanbul Water Canal is just a new confluence between the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Marmara and from there to the Mediterranean and the Aegean.

Thus, one can see the fact that Istanbul Canal cannot be compared to Suez in terms of geostrategic importance and the size of the trade corridor.

Read More: Turkey realizes the importance of the Istanbul Canal project after the Suez Canal incident

The Turkish Minister of Transport and Communications, Adel Kara Ismailoglu, announced that a group of consultants and experts under his command will continue and consult with the Suez Canal Construction Company.

The Turkish Minister of Transport and Communications believes that the $15 billion needed to finance the Istanbul Canal project will not be a new burden on the Turkish national budget.

Adil Kara Ismailoglu also believes that Turkey should get a real foothold in maritime transport and trade.

“Every year, 12 billion tons of goods are transported in the world’s seas, of which only 1.7 billion tons are for the Black Sea Basin,” he said.

By 2030, the volume of maritime transport will reach 25 billion tons, and 3.5 billion tons will be the share of the Black Sea.

Therefore, we, as Turkey, as a point of contact between the Black Sea and the outside world, must prepare ourselves for 2030.

We have to make sure that 3.5 billion tons of global goods pass through Istanbul.

“In a world where 90 percent of trade is by sea, sea lanes are important, and Istanbul must find its place.”

Finally, it should be noted that in recent years, an atmosphere has been created in Turkey where most economic and social issues, large or small, have become important cards for political and party games.

Apparently, the Istanbul canal is no exception to this rule.

Because the completion of this project is expected to coincide with two important political events, one on the eve of the 2023 elections and the other an opportunity to achieve the goals of the Turkey 2023 Development Document.

The post Turkey and the desire to copy the Suez Canal to Istanbul – Canal Istanbul appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

In recent days and weeks, the vaccination process in Turkey has accelerated and millions of Turkish and foreign citizens have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

However, in the past few days, there has been an ups and downs in the number of patients, which once again caused concern for health workers.

Turkish political and economic officials hope that the country will receive at least 12 million foreign tourists in the next three months, given that it is the golden season for tourism.

But the evidence indicates that achieving this desired economic goal is directly related to controlling and combating the spread of the Coronavirus.

What do the statistics say?

In the few days in which Turkish Ministry of Health employees broke the record with more than one million doses of vaccine per day.

The number of new cases fell below 5,000 within 24 hours.

But now many Turkish cities are on the rise again and the number of patients exceeds 5,000 per day.

Here are the latest statistics published by Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca to the media:

• The number of tests in 24 hours is 223 thousand cases.
• The number of new patients within 24 hours is 5,630 patients.
• 56 deaths in the last 24 hours.
• The total number of examinations since the beginning until today is 59 million 668 thousand cases.
• The total number of patients from the beginning until today reached 5 million and 399 thousand people.
• The total number of people recovered is 5 million 262 thousand people.
• Patients in difficult conditions 737 people.
• The total number of deaths from the virus reached 49,473.

According to the information published by the Turkish Ministry of Health. The country is in an appropriate position in terms of accelerating the vaccination process against the Coronavirus.

And the latest information regarding vaccination is as follows:

• The total number of injected vaccines is 46 million 590 thousand 23 people.
• People who received the first dose: 31 million 799 thousand 678 people.
• People who received both doses: 14 million 790 thousand 345 people.

Turkey has a population of 83 million, excluding approximately 5 million foreign nationals.

According to the statistics of vaccinators and the number of vaccinations per day, it can be said that in the next two weeks, half of the total population of Turkey will receive two doses of the Coronavirus vaccine.

And in this regard, the Ministry of Health of this country has an excellent and defensible record.

Statistics show that Turkish health authorities have preferred that the vaccination process be faster in urban and tourist areas.

Accordingly, the statistics of injected doses in several governorates are as follows:

• Istanbul: 8 million and 550 thousand doses.
• Ankara: 3 million and 865 thousand doses.
• Izmir: 3 million and 120 thousand doses.
• Bursa: 1 million and 808 thousand doses.
• Antalya: 1 million and 573 thousand doses.

Turkey has used Chinese, Russian, German and English vaccines so far.

And according to media reports, the purchase of 50 million doses of the Chinese vaccine is the most important contract to purchase this vaccine.

Turkey has also reached the final stage of trials for its national vaccine, called Turkovac.

On Wednesday, the Turkish Minister of Health announced a contract to purchase 120 million doses of the Biontech vaccine.

In the past 10 days, Turkey, along with countries such as the United States, China, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, Germany, France and Italy, has been ranked in the world’s top-tier vaccine league.

Where mobile groups were sent to vaccinate the disabled and the elderly at home.

Artists and celebrities also supported the vaccination process in Turkey by publishing messages on social media.

Special teams have also been formed in order to persuade the elderly to take the vaccine.

In addition to undertaking several initiatives to speed up vaccination in Turkey.

Turkey’s fear of mutated delta

The delta version of the coronavirus, which first emerged in India, has been seen in 80 countries in the past three weeks.

The World Health Organization, which names major mutated strains of the coronavirus based on the Greek alphabet, named the version in India as Delta.

The virus has spread widely in Britain and Germany, and cases have been reported in Russia.

Therefore, the spread of the delta mutation of the Coronavirus in these countries has alarmed some Turkish scientists and experts.

Professor Omid Savaş, a faculty member at the Turkish Coronavirus Headquarters, said that delta mutations have been observed in at least 16 of Turkey’s 81 provinces and that 134 people have been diagnosed with this version of the virus.

Professor Omid Savaş believes that in order to bypass the delta mutant, the Turkish Ministry of Health must inject more than one million vaccines every day for the next four weeks.

Provincial health directors must not allow the vaccination acceleration rate to be lower than this.

Do tourists bring viruses?

In the past few days, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials managed to persuade countries such as Germany, Britain and Russia to send tourists after the talks.

Meanwhile, the most important customer of Turkish tourism are Russian citizens, who in the first days of the resumption of flights, an average of 14,000 people, traveled to the Turkish city of Antalya daily.

The return of tourists has brought happiness to the government and the private sector.

But in the meantime, there are many media and experts who have expressed their concerns about this issue.

They believe that in the current psychological environment caused by the market stagnation, the tolerance of foreign national travel, can be dangerous in the outbreak of the virus again.

In the end, it must be said that providing the vaccine and managing the vaccination process in cities and villages is a vital and important step.

However, the role of human societies and people from different countries is still more important than any other factor.

And if all health protocols, social distancing and the use of masks are simultaneously ignored, not even mass vaccination can be effective on its own.

The post Fighting the Coronavirus in Turkey: Is it time to return to normal life? appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

According to international news agencies, the leaders of the green continent discussed at the last meeting of the European Union leaders in Brussels several important issues and themes.

Issues such as relations between the European Union and Russia, the migration process, the economic consequences of the large-scale spread of the coronavirus and issues related to the customs union agreement with Turkey.

Before the meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) called the European Union Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

They called on the European Union to take a serious look at Turkey’s EU membership process.

But the evidence suggests that Europeans at the moment have more important issues.

In addition, the extent of their political and legal differences with Turkey is much greater than the possibility of completing Turkey’s membership and accession to the European Union in the short term.

There was clear goodwill towards Turkey in the Brussels meeting yesterday.

And in the speeches of several EU leaders, especially German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

However, The current situation it must be said that EU leaders have a positive attitude towards Turkey in many ways.

But there are still no serious talks about Turkey’s full EU membership.

Important sign for Turkey

The apparent disagreement among EU leaders over how to take a stand against Russia is not a secret question, and this disagreement was revealed publicly yesterday.

Merkel and Macron seem to have an appropriate view of Russia and have recommended that a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin be on the agenda.

But other EU leaders refused to accept the offer of France and Germany to hold a joint meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Whereas, at the summit of the 27 member states of the European Union, which lasted until late Thursday 24 June, some countries took a hard line towards Putin.

Poland and the Baltic states saw Merkel and Macron’s offer to meet Putin as a signal, and said they did not see the idea in the interest of the European Union.

The original idea for a meeting with Putin came from Emmanuel Macron, after Biden and Putin’s last meeting in Geneva.

But other European leaders say European-Russian relations cannot be compared to US-Russian relations.

Earlier, in 2014, the last EU-Putin summit was held in January 2014.

But those meetings ended after Russia annexed Crimea and Western sanctions began.

Merkel and Macron’s plan stresses that the EU must be firm and united in its dealings with Moscow.

But the EU must work with the Kremlin on issues of common concern, such as climate change, health, the nuclear deal with Iran, and the conflicts in Syria and Libya.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz agreed.

But Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and other leaders believe in applying pressure and increasing sanctions on Russia, over issues such as Ukraine, Belarus, cyberattacks and security disputes in the Baltic Sea.

The important disagreement between EU leaders over Russia, from the point of view of Turkey’s interests and Ankara’s relationship with the EU, shows two facts:

• Developing relations with one or two powerful members of the European Union and even attracting the attention of the heads of the Commission, the Council and other EU institutions alone is not enough for Turkey, especially since the veto is possible for all EU members.
• The issue of Russia is very important not only to the United States but also to Russia, and Turkey must at this point organize its relations with Russia in a way that does not contradict the European Union.

A message from Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is going through the final weeks of her political term.

With her departure, Turkey loses the politician who entered the field in historical moments, and every time in an appropriate and mediated way.

In her speech at yesterday’s meeting, Angela Merkel showed a positive attitude towards Turkey.

She said Turkey has done a great job by taking in 3.7 million Syrian refugees and deserves 3.5 billion euros in financial and political support and assistance.

Merkel believes that the issue of immigration and customs should be discussed with Turkey.

Customs Union

One of the main motivations for Turkey to become a full member of the European Union is to take advantage of the advantages of free trade with European countries and reduce export costs.

To this end, negotiations were conducted with Turkey on the customs agreement of the European Union and relative concessions were granted to Turkey.

But Turkish officials say the previous agreement is now of little financial value and needs to be reviewed.

The European side stated that technical studies had begun on the mandate of the European Union Commission to update the customs union agreement with Turkey.

Technical talks between Turkey and the European Union on the upgrade are also expected to resume.

According to the current schedule, representatives of the two sides are expected to meet at the director general level in the first half of July.

The European Union, Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean

An important aspect of yesterday’s talks between EU leaders in Brussels was addressing the political situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and easing Turkish tensions with actors in this field.

Although the EU leaders have not publicly expressed their support, all of their indirect statements reflect the fact that they do not have a similar view of Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.

Because from their point of view, Cyprus and Greece are already official members of the union and both are Christian.

But Turkey is a Muslim country that is only a candidate.

And so far, it has seriously intervened and demonstrated its power in the most sensitive European region in the eastern Mediterranean, which is Cyprus.

The positions of the EU leaders in this case contain several clear messages, which the Turkish authorities are not pleased with:

• The European Union is pleased with the easing of tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. But at the same time it has no proposals or ideas or efforts to reach a final solution, and only wants to freeze the tensions between Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.
• The European Union is concerned about the attitude of the Turkish government towards Cyprus. And, contrary to Turkey’s wishes, has clearly declared that the strategy of establishing two governments on the island of Cyprus is unacceptable.
• The European Union has described the measures taken by Turkey and Turkish Cypriots to reopen abandoned Cyprus as worrying.

Finally, Turkey’s differences with the European Union on important issues such as political norms, democracy and human rights, as well as differing views on the eastern Mediterranean, Greece and Cyprus, are more important and vital than comprehensive negotiations.

As a result, the Turkish authorities have certainly realized that the relationship between Turkey and the European Union is only at the level of maintaining economic and trade cooperation (excluding customs duties and facilities for members) and some political cooperation.

So we can say that in the medium term, there is probably no hope for Turkey’s full membership in the European Union.

The post The position of European leaders on Turkey’s membership in the European Union appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

According to international news agencies, the Turkish government is looking for a middle ground to bypass a situation referred to in many Turkish media and political circles as the “S-400 crisis”.

Turkish newspapers reported that President Erdogan’s team is working hard to convince the US president and powerful NATO members to conclude that buying a missile system from Russia means not turning your back on the United States and NATO.

Erdogan’s team finally has 10 days to make a final offer to the president to have a say in the upcoming meeting with Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit meeting.

The relationship between the S-400 and the dispute between the lira and the dollar

According to a report published by Bloomberg Agency, a delegation of Russian military advisers came to Turkey with two large shipments of S-400s that returned to Moscow two days ago, which sent a positive signal to the United States.

But Russian officials denied the allegations, saying that the officers’ return was based on a predetermined calendar and had nothing to do with relations between Ankara and Washington.

Bloomberg also indicated that the denials of Russian officials raised doubts about the currency and capital markets in Turkey.

And that the US dollar has again become fatter against the Turkish lira, and there are fears that it will soon reach 9 liras.

A short visit for greetings and grievances

US State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said Biden will meet with Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Brussels on the fourteenth of this month, and regional issues should be discussed.

“In a meeting with the US president on June 14, we will certainly ask why Turkish-US relations are at such a tense stage,” Erdogan said in a lengthy television interview two days ago.

Before you came, we worked with both Democrats and Republicans, from George W. Bush to Obama and Trump.

But I had never experienced such tension with them before.

We didn’t see any tension with Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama.

On the contrary, we were very calm in telephone diplomacy, we were very comfortable and we made decisions on various issues.

Unfortunately, we were not in constant contact with Mr. Biden during this time. We will talk about these issues at the NATO summit.”

Earlier, Turkish media and diplomatic sources in Ankara announced that the meeting between Erdogan and Biden will be half an hour, and taking into account the translation time, this time is about 15 minutes.

Which indicates that during the intense meeting between Erdogan and Biden, most likely, there will not be much time for bargaining and detailed explanations.

There must be a brief and concise agenda that can help change the current climate and cloudy skies between the two countries.

But the statements of some analysts close to Erdogan’s team indicate that there is no hope for a clear result during this meeting.

Turkey is not waiting for the spring of relations

Hasan Basri Yalcin, an analyst close to the AKP, wrote in Al-Sabah newspaper:

“We have to accept the fact that the current problems and tensions between the United States and Turkey focus only on the Armenian issue and Biden’s attempt to acknowledge this claim.”

The massacre is not Armenian and we have at least 10 serious disagreements.

Therefore, even if (thanks to Erdogan’s initiative and diplomatic experience) the meeting with Biden at the NATO summit yields few positive gains, the United States will continue to maintain its ambiguous and aggressive stance.

“No one should expect a new spring between the United States and Turkey.”

As Professor Burhanettin Doran, a member of the Turkish Presidential Foundation’s Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Board, wrote:

“The meetings of US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman in Ankara showed that Washington continues to oppose the purchase and installation of the S-400.

Many problems, such as the S-400 missile system, the F-35 fighter, and US support for the YPG and Gulen, may not be resolved, but relations can be prevented from deteriorating.

Second, it can be a relatively diplomatic meeting in which the two sides express their theses on problematic issues and express their complaints to the other.

Decoding Biden’s trips and visits

One of the most important issues for Turkey’s diplomatic apparatus is the fact that US President Joe Biden has focused all his energy on issues relating to the Western world.

Biden’s upcoming show shows that his team is trying to mend America’s strained relations with Europe and NATO.

While at the same time gaining more strength against Russia and China.

That is why in the coming days Biden will travel first to England on a two-day trip to attend the G7 summit.

Then he visits Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth, and then he meets the King and Prime Minister of Belgium in Brussels.

He will travel during the NATO summit from Belgium to Geneva, Switzerland, to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then he will meet with Swiss officials and return to the United States.

This shows that the foreign policy priorities of Joe Biden’s team are the two vital chapters of cooperation with the West and preparation against Russia and China.

In this context, there is great scope for cooperation with a country like Turkey.

Finally, it should be noted that in the 20-year history of the Justice and Development Party led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the relations between Ankara and Washington have never reached this level of tension and separation.

Interestingly, Turkey’s distance from the United States does not mean a deep and close friendship with Russia.

For example, there are significant differences in views between the Putin administration and Turkey’s actions in recent months, such as:

• The fate of Idlib in Syria.
• Turkish political and military leadership in Libya.
• Turkey’s view of the balance between Ukraine, Crimea, Tatars and the Black Sea.

As a result, Turkey’s foreign policy toward the two powers, the United States and Russia, is very similar to moving on the edge of the sword and trying to keep itself close to both powers at the same time.

The post What does the upcoming meeting between Erdogan and Biden have in store for us? appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

In a hypothetical meeting with US businessmen, Erdogan said that despite the US president’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, his upcoming talks with Joe Biden in June in Brussels would herald a new chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries.

According to local news agencies, the first official meeting between Joe Biden’s government and Erdogan’s government will be held in Ankara today (Friday).

Although there has already been a telephone conversation between Biden and Erdogan, as well as between the two countries’ foreign ministers of Blinkin and Cavusoglu, the face-to-face meeting has more diplomatic value.

Of course, the visit of the US Deputy Secretary of State to Ankara will be a high level visit.

It is clear that Ankara would have preferred to welcome Anthony Blinken on the first diplomatic visit, but this move from the Biden administration to Turkey appears to be an expected.

Because Biden’s first action against Turkey was recognition of the historic claim of the Armenian Genocide, a serious shock in the history of relations between Ankara and Washington.

But a look at the statements of government officials from Turkey’s Justice and Development Party shows that they are not disappointed with the United States and are working hard to remove existing obstacles, at least in part and gradually.

Sherman vs Onal

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the first high-level visit to Turkey since the Biden administration took office in the United States is taking place today.

As US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit Ankara today.

A statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that political consultations will take place in Ankara today, May 27, 2021, headed by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

The meeting is expected to discuss the Turkish-American relations, regional and international issues.

Sherman’s visit to Turkey comes after her meetings in Brussels, and she is scheduled to meet with representatives of some non-governmental organizations in Turkey, in addition to her Turkish counterpart.

Sedat Onal is one of Turkey’s most experienced diplomats, who recently traveled to Cairo to meet diplomats from Sisi’s government.

He is a well-known politician in the Turkish diplomatic apparatus, and he is well acquainted with American politics as well as the Middle East issue.

Erdogan’s reaction to Biden’s offensive approach

Erdogan’s focus on the United States over the past two months shows that he wants to keep Turkish-American relations away from the Biden administration’s offensive approach and engage heavily with his team.

Perhaps that is why, even after Biden’s decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Erdogan, who has nothing to do with anyone, is still addressing the US president.

He said, “President Biden! You accused us of genocide and now you support Israel.” You are writing history with blood on your hands. “You forced us to say that.”

According to some Turkish political analysts, saying “You forced us to say this” is a small brake.

This indicates that Erdogan, in his lively and partisan speech, is not without a desire to maintain relations between the two countries.

But why? The answer is:

• The dollar shock and the political and economic problems have imposed huge costs on Turkey’s ruling party.
• Erdogan still hopes to persuade Biden to seize the F-35 fighting jets.
• On the same night that Biden spoke to Erdogan and told him that he would recognize the Armenian Genocide within a few hours, it was agreed to hold a meeting between Erdogan and Biden at the next NATO summit in Brussels. And at that meeting, some problems will be solved.

Erdogan’s purposeful work before Sherman’s trip

Just two weeks before the meeting between Erdogan and Turkish President Biden, the Turkish president made an important symbolic step, urging American businessmen to invest in Turkey.

In a conference by phone, Turkish President and the leader of the Justice and Development Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed a large group of members of the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, declaring that Ankara is determined to achieve the goal of 100 billion dollars with the United States, and hopes that the new US administration will take measures enthusiastically.

It seems that the new Turkish ambassador to the United States, Hasan Murat Mercan, who was recently transferred from Tokyo to Washington, along with a team of economic and political lobbyists, has achieved preliminary results, and he hopes that the turmoil in the sky of relations between Turkey and America may disappear.

Erdogan said in the meeting with US businessmen that despite the US president’s recognition of the Armenian genocide, his upcoming talks with Joe Biden in June in Brussels would herald a new chapter in relations between the two countries.

In his speech, Erdogan stressed the issue of “political and judicial reform” and called on American investors to pay more attention to Turkey and benefit from the incentives of the Turkish government.

He said, “We have defined the responsibilities of our institutions to attract foreign investment.” I hope we will soon share our document with the nation and international investors.

We want to increase our country’s annual share of international direct investment by up to 50% in the medium term.

To this end, we are simplifying the use of our incentive system and making it easier for investors to take advantage of the incentives.

With the increase in investments, we are interested in projects that accelerate the technological transformation of our country, create jobs and help achieve balance in our current account.

We will continue to attract international investors in specific areas, particularly in information and communication technology, energy and procurement.

The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Presidential Investment Offices, Digital Transformation and other institutions are ready to provide all necessary support for your new investment projects. “

Important differences

Turkey and the United States differ on several important issues:

1. The United States feared that Turkey would approach Russia and used the purchase of the S-400 missile system as an excuse not only to place Turkish defense industry officials on the sanctions list, but also to prevent the export of the F-35 to Turkey and the production of parts of these fighters on Turkish soil.
2. In the case of the Eastern Mediterranean, the United States does not like Turkey’s view of Cyprus, Greece and the region’s energy resources.
3. Turkey is deeply dissatisfied with US political-military support for the PKK-affiliated PKK institutions in northern Syria.
4. Turkey expects the US government to end the activities of the Gulen students in the various provinces.

Wendy Sherman’s visit to Ankara, despite being low-profile, will at least allow Turkey to evaluate more possible scenarios for Joe Biden’s decisions regarding future relations with Ankara and various challenges.

The truth is that given the depth of some of the important differences between the United States and Turkey, one can expect anything, not only from Sherman’s visit, but also from Erdogan and Biden’s meeting.

But in the economic field, new positive developments may occur to increase trade between the two countries.

The post What is the message of the US Deputy Secretary of State’s visit to Turkey? appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.