Turkey in the year 2005
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Dropping six zeros from the national currency, start of full membership negotiations with the EU, accusations against novelist Orhan Pamuk and the ensuing trial, resignation of Erkan Mumcu from the cabinet (he was a former minister of Culture) and his election to the leadership of the ANAVATAN Party, election of M. Ali Talat President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), nomination of a Turkish politician -Kemal Dervis- as UNDP administrator, successful privatization and low inflation rate in economy were landmark events of the year 2005, as far as Turkey is concerned. A summary of those events in politics, economics, sports, social life etc. recorded in Turkey during the year follows. Anadolu Agency tries to give an account of those events as extended as possible.
POLITICAL & SOCIAL EVENTS OF 2005
-Six zeros were dropped from Turkish lira (TL) and its name was changed to new Turkish lira (YTL).
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| Six zeros were dropped from Turkish lira. |
- The exhibition, “Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years 600-1600” opened at the Royal Academy of Arts in London on January 19th.
- January 30th- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Bill Gates, the owner of Microsoft, in Ankara.
-In February, Premier Erdogan visited five countries hit by a tsunami disaster.
-“Thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in these lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it”, novelist Orhan Pamuk told Switzerland's “Das Magazin” weekly on February 8th.
February 15th- Culture & Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu resigned from his post and Justice & Development Party (AKP). Atilla Koc was appointed as the new culture & tourism minister. Later Mumcu became
the leader of Anavatan Party.
March 15th- Tolga Ornek's documentary film “Gelibolu” (Gallipoli) about Canakkale Battles was premiered in Lutfi Kirdar International Congress and Exhibition Hall in Istanbul.
April 11th- PM Erdogan addressing Turkish citizens in Norway said that there is no such concept of the “Kurdish minority” in Turkey, noting, “Do not confuse (terrorist organization) PKK with ordinary Kurds.”
April 12th- Following his speech at Nobel Institute in Norway, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan scolded some people who called themselves members of Kurdistan National Council and asking to stop operations of Turkish security forces against PKK. PM Erdogan said: ”I consider you as focal point of terrorism at the moment. Is there any separate state within Turkey?”
After his meeting in Parliament building in Oslo, a group of PKK militants threw eggs to Erdogan. Erdogan reacted and said to the Norwegian Defense Minister “if I did not have a NATO schedule, I would have left your country.”
April 13th- President Ahmet Necdet Sezer left for Damascus for an official visit. He met Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.
April 14th- “Gelibolu” (Gallipoli) documentary of Turkish director Tolga Ornek was inaugurated in London.
April 17th- Mehmet Ali Talat was elected as President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
April 20th- Turgut Ozakman's novel “Su Cilgin Turkler” (Those Crazy Turks) was published. The book tells all aspects of the Turkish War of Independence.
April 24th- An international ceremony was held at Martyrs Monument in Gelibolu (Gallipoli) Peninsula on the 90th anniversary of Canakkale Wars. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Premier Helen Clark of New Zealand, and chiefs of general staff of Turkey and Australia attended the ceremony. Also Prince Charles of Wales attended the reception which was held within the scope of ceremonies.
April 26th- UN officially announced that Turkish MP Kemal Dervis, was elected Administrator of UN Development Program.
May 1st- During his visit to Israel, PM Erdogan said that a red phone line will be established between Ankara and Jerusalem upon proposal of PM Sharon.
May 12th- The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), regarding the application of the lawyers of Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization, confirmed that the right to a fair trial of Ocalan was violated. This decision of the ECHR was protested throughout the country.
June 19th- Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar, a Professor of Carolina University Biochemistry and Biophysics Department, became the third Turkish citizen elected member of the American National Academy of Sciences.
June 20th- Metin Kaplan, leader of Union of Islamic Communities and Societies (ICCB) based in Germany, was sentenced in Turkey to life in prison on charges of “attempting to overturn the constitutional order (of Turkey) by force of arms”.
Kaplan, who lived in Cologne, Germany, was extradited to Turkey on October 12th, 2004.
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| Association of German Publishers & Booksellers presented to novelist Orhan Pamuk this years' Peace Award. |
June 22nd- Association of German Publishers & Booksellers presented to novelist Orhan Pamuk this years' Peace Award.
July 1- A suicide bomber who attempted to set off explosives on his body in front of Justice Ministry in Ankara, was killed by police forces. Later, he was identified as Eyup Beyaz, a member of terrorist organization DHKP-C who had been wanted by the police for more than two years.
July 2nd- Six people died and 12 others were injured in a train en route from Elazig to Tatvan, when a remote-controlled bomb planted by PKK on the railway was exploded near Suveren Station of Bitlis.
July 7th- The new Turkish Penal Code was approved by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
August 1st- Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mehmet Ali Talat arrived in Ankara for an official visit upon invitation of President Sezer.
August 3rd- Iraqi Airlines held its first direct flight from Baghdad to Istanbul after 14 years of interval. Iraqi plane landed at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport.
August 4th- Fleet Commander Admiral Yener Karahanoglu was appointed commander of Naval Forces and War Academies Commander General Faruk Comert the commander of Air Forces. General Staff Deputy Chief General Ilker Basbug was appointed Commander of the First Army based in Istanbul.
August 6th- 17 people died after a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded in Sehitkamil town of southeastern city of Gaziantep.
August 10th- Syrian Hamed Obysi and Louai Sakra, members of terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, were captured by Turkish police.
August 21st- McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen won the Turkish Grand Prix in Formula 1 World Championship in Istanbul. PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan also watched the race.
September 2nd- A group of people who gathered after Friday prayer in front of Fatih Mosque chanted slogans in favor of illegal “Hizb-ut Tahrir” organization. Later, Yilmaz Celik and another two persons who were taken into custody in southern city of Adana, were arrested in connection with the incident.
September 5th - King Abdallah of Jordan, who arrived in Ankara for a 24-hour visit, met Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
September 13th- Turkish jurist Professor Rona Aybay was elected tothe Committee of Eminent Persons, including 11 people, who will work to reform the European Court of Human Rights.
September 15th- Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Spokesman Namik Tan said Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer extended a formal invitation to Pope Benedict XVI requesting him to visit Turkey in 2006.
September 24th- “The Armenians during the Collapse of the Ottoman Empire: Scientific Responsibility and Democracy Problems” Conference was held at Bilgi University.
October 3rd- Turkey-EU full membership negotiations formally launched in Luxembourg.
October 6th- European Commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn said, ”start of Turkey's full membership talks with the EU on October 3rd is a success.” Rehn traveled to Turkey to congratulate the Turkish executives.
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| Dubai Towers Istanbul. |
-The same day Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Dubai International Properties signed an agreement on real estate investments worth of 5 billion USD. Officials said that the first step of joint investments will be the construction of “Dubai Towers Istanbul” which are planned to be completed in 2008. The towers will comprise a business center and residences.
October 11th- Famous Turkish poet and author Attila Ilhan died.
October 14th- Yuzuncu Yil University (YYU) Rector Prof. Dr. Yucel Askin was arrested within the scope of an investigation on charges of forgery and corruption in the tender for the purchase of medical equipment from Spanish Expansion firm, back in 1998.
November 11th- Prof. Goksel Kalayci, the head of the lung diseases department of the Istanbul University's Medical Faculty lost his life in an armed attack in the parking lot of the hospital. Two people were arrested on November 13th in connection with the murder.
November 13th- Yuzuncu Yil University deputy Secretary General Enver Arpali committed suicide in prison. He was in the same room with University's Rector Prof. Dr. Yucel Askin in Van Prison. Prof. Askin also felt ill and was taken to ICU room.
November 15th- Turkish Art Board presented this year's Honorary Award to Turgut Ozakman, writer of “Those Crazy Turks” novel.
November 16th- Poet and writer Ozdemir Ince was elected as permanent member of Luxembourg-based European Poetry Academy.
November 17th- PM Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi attended the inauguration ceremony of Blue Stream Project in (northern city) Samsun.
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| "Lovelorn" a candidate to best foreign language film Oscar won the best movie award in Queens Film Festival. |
November 21st- Turkish movie “Gonul Yarasi” (Lovelorn), a candidate to 'best foreign-language film Oscar', won the 'best movie' award in International Queens Film Festival held in New York.
November 24th- “Picasso in Istanbul” exhibition was opened at Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and his wife also visited the exhibition.
December 1st- In synchronous operations, launched in Istanbul, Izmir, Mugla and Adana, police confiscated 184.7 kg of heroin.
December 9th- FLY Air held its first flight between Istanbul and Irbil.
December 16th- Trial of novelist Orhan Pamuk started at Sisli Criminal Court. A lawsuit was filed against him due to his words in an interview with a Swiss magazine, and which were found “insulting Turkishness”. The prosecutor requested 3 years of imprisonment for Pamuk. A group of people reacted against Pamuk while he was arriving to the courtroom.