Güncelleme Tarihi:
"We are experiencing a historic day," the joint statement read out by The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarciklioglu said. Hiscarciklioglu also said everybody should "take a step back from their recent positions" in order reduce the tension.  Â
Political tension has been high since a leftist and anti-AKP columnist, a party leader and a former rector were taken into custody on Friday with suspected links to an illegal gang which was accused of paving the way to a military coup following Turkey's chief prosecutor filed a lawsuit against the governing AKP demanding its closure on March 14. Observers say recent developments embark a new episode in the secularists' and Islamist groups' struggle for power.
Turkish Confederation of Public Laborers' Unions (Kamu-Sen), Turkish Confederation of Labor (Turk-Is), Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen & Craftsmen (TESK), Moral Rights Workers Union (Hak-Is), Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions (TISK) and Turkish Agricultural Chambers' Union (TZOB) were among the other NGOs joined the statement.       Â
The statement said
'SPEED UP EU PROCESS'
"Every issue other than these principles can be a matter of politics and be freely discussed. The political process in
The statement said the country is undergoing a tense process due to various problems concerning the constitution and political parties law. "However, what should be done is to take the economic, political and social standards of our country to the level of developed countries, and speed up the EU process," the joint statement told.
It said
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According to the statement,
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TUSIAD'S MEETINGS
A delegation from Turkey's top business association Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD), headed by the chairwoman Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag, visited Hisarciklioglu on Tuesday.
The TUSIAD delegation will meet other leading business groups, including unions, on Wednesday in
TUSIAD warned on Monday in a written statement that there could be a polarization in the public that could gradually result in a "regime crisis". "There is no way that we, as TUSIAD, can stay silent as long as we live," it added.
TUSIAD has been one of the most powerful NGOs in Turkish history. According to TUSIAD's official website, as of December 2006 it has 566 members. TUISAD's member company's total sales volume is 121.9 billion dollars, according to the association's membership profile in 2005. TUSIAD has been playing important roles in political scene, especially during 1970s when the political uncertainty peaked, even forcing governments to resign.